Phase
Seed
Funding
Strategic (Research Ireland Innovation Challenge)
Problem to address
Ireland must find ways to produce more renewable natural gas to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Renewable natural gas (or biomethane) is made from agricultural and food industry feedstocks. There is an opportunity to make this process more efficient, produce more renewable gas, and enhance the quality and quantity of plant ready organic fertilisers through co-digestion with feedstocks from the seaweed bioeconomy.
Seaweed is an underused resource in Ireland that can help improve production. Using seaweed as a primary resource can be costly, so Ireland has not yet explored its full potential in biomethane production.
The proposal
ALgas will explore how seaweed and agricultural feedstocks can be used together to produce more biomethane. Combining these materials could increase efficiency and produce more renewable gas than using agricultural feedstocks alone.
ALgas will also explore other uses for seaweed, including products that can help crops grow through improvements in the organic fertiliser outputs of the AD Biomethane sector. Outcomes from this project could help Ireland produce more renewable gas and grow its seaweed industry.
Meet the ALgas team
Dr. Gavin Collins
Dr Gavin Collins is an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Galway’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences,...
Dr. Gavin Collins
Dr Gavin Collins is an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Galway’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, and a principal investigator at the Ryan Institute for Resilient and Sustainable Futures where he is a member of the Energy Research Centre and co-leads the Agriculture, Food Security, and Bioeconomy Research Centre. Dr Collins has held visiting scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Dr Collins’ research is on the application of diverse microorganisms to protect the environment and support economic development. His laboratory works on bioremediation of polluted water and air, as well as bioenergy production from waste.
Dr Collins leads the ALgas Project, innovating in the integration of the seaweed economy with the agricultural economy, to support the development of coastal value chains and the efficient production of new biomethane and sustainable fertilisers from agriculture.
Professor Edel Doherty
Professor Edel Doherty is a Professor in Economics at the University of Galway's J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics...
Professor Edel Doherty
Professor Edel Doherty is a Professor in Economics at the University of Galway's J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and she a member of the Centre for Economic Research in Inclusivity and Sustainability (CERIS). Prior to joining the University of Galway, Professor Doherty worked at Queen's University Belfast and held visiting scholarships at UC Berkeley and Simon Fraser University. Her research has informed policy development in areas including public health, environmental sustainability, climate adaptation, and social inclusion.
Within the ALGAS Project, Professor Doherty is involved in the economic and societal impact assessment activities, drawing on her expertise in environmental valuation, policy evaluation, and stakeholder preferences to assess the wider social, environmental, and economic benefits of using seaweed to enhance biomethane production. Her role supports the project's objective of developing sustainable, evidence-based solutions that contribute to both environmental resilience and societal wellbeing through supporting GNI’s targets of increased biomethane production from renewable resources.
Meet our Innovation Steering Members
Professor Clive Deadman
Clive began his career as an engineer in the African mining and UK automotive sectors. He then spent nine years...
Professor Clive Deadman
Clive began his career as an engineer in the African mining and UK automotive sectors. He then spent nine years in private equity, working with investors and innovators to grow a range of new ventures in energy, environmental services and clinical care. He later spent 20 years with United Utilities (£100 billion assets) and Electricity North West (£20 billion assets).
In recent years Clive has written two books and served as Chair and Non-executive Director of several regulatory and asset-owning organisations, as well as Professor of Water and Energy at Cranfield University.
He has extensive experience of living and working internationally.
PJ Rudden
With an honours degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UCD, PJ Rudden has over 40 years’ experience in gas,...
PJ Rudden
With an honours degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UCD, PJ Rudden has over 40 years’ experience in gas, water and waste management. In 2020, he was appointed Chair of the Construction Sector Group (CSG) Subgroup in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and an External Member of the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board reporting to the Minister.
The Gas 2025 Report by (Sofregaz/MCOS/Penspen/JPKenny) published in 2000 recommended several pipeline supply options including a Second Gas Interconnector and a Gas Pipeline to the West from Dublin-Athlone-Galway-Limerick which resulted in a total pipeline length of 335km, the longest pipeline in the Irish state.
Another major project around this time was Dublin Waste to Energy Project which was designed to replace many depleted landfills around the country and to replace these with a state-of-the-art thermal treatment plant at Poolbeg in Dublin Port with a future possibility now of a district heating project in the Docklands area.
P J Rudden sought to explore gas innovation in UK with Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) who were responsible for Scotland and Southern England south of the River Thames and tendered successfully for Network Innovation Competition (NIC) with the Regulator Ofgem. The project comprised the design, manufacture and field testing of new inspection and repair robots. The breakthrough robotic systems were developed to allow gas utilities to identify mains and extend the life of large diameter cast iron pipeline infrastructure.
In 2006, P J Rudden was also appointed by the National Standards Authority of Ireland to chair the TC 5 Committee to update Irish Gas Standard IS 328. The TC5 Committee completely updated the new document which was finally published in 2021.
He was also Project Director for the Irish Scottish Links Energy Study (ISLES) for the Governments of Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland (2010-2014) which led transboundary policy formulation across Regulatory, Market, Technology, Environmental and Planning workstreams for the future development of offshore energy (wind, wave and tidal). He reported directly to the Head of Energy, Scottish Government and to the ISLES Technical Committee of the three Governments and presented the recommendations to the three Ministers meeting in Glasgow in 2014.
Throughout his career, he was also President of Engineers Ireland and President of the UCD Engineering Graduates Association. He was also Director of the EU Commission Secretaire for the European Green Capital Award for the most sustainable cities across Europe.