Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub launch event receives high-level endorsement
The Supergen Bioenergy Hub and Aston University team led by Mijam Roeder, were delighted to join industrial partner Straw Innovations in the Philippines on 7 – 8 October and project partners the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Koolmill Systems Limited, to showcase the achievements of the Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub (RSBH) project funded by Innovate UK at the Grand Launch event.
The RSBH is tackling the dual challenge of agricultural waste and rural energy access — by turning rice straw, often burned as waste, into a valuable source of clean bioenergy.
Endorsement of the work of the RSBH and messages of support were given by key dignitaries of the British Embassy Manila, Lloyd Cameron, Economic and Climate Counsellor and Government of Republic of the Philippines representatives – a symbol of shared purpose with innovations, science and research solving real world problems.
Lloyd Cameron said:
“Businesses which treat climate risks as opportunities will define the markets of the future. When UK science meets Philippine innovation, rice straw becomes more than a byproduct, it becomes part of the solution. That partnership lies at the core of the Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub: harnessing new technology, developing local business models, and increasing productivity.”
The grand launch event featured the newly developed cutting-edge rice straw harvesting technologies including Straw Innovations’ STRAW Traktor™ – a pioneering wet-season straw harvester that halves fuel use and doubles straw collection and Koolmill’s Ultra-Efficient Rice Mill – uses less than half the energy of traditional mills, supporting sustainable food production. Aston University, and SEARCA shared their socio-economic and environmental findings on rice straw and outcomes from engaging with the rice growing communities to explore how pro-farmer business models can create rural jobs, improve food security, and reduce carbon emissions.
The RSBH proposal to roll out the technology in new Hubs across the Philippines and beyond captured the attention of the media, with coverage picked up by over 27 media outlets globally, sharing the importance of this UK-Philippines collaborative work to bring UK innovations to support rural communities in the Philippines and address the challenges of climate change.
Watch the highlights via our YouTube channel.
