The current fuel production and related industries are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels. BP's "Statistical Review of World Energy" published in 2014 states that the world has in reserves 892 billion tonnes of coal, 186 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 1688 billion barrels of crude oil. Although these represent huge reserves, taking into account today's level of extraction, would mean that coal would be exhausted in 113 years and natural gas and crude oil would be extracted by 2069 and 2067, respectively. In the meanwhile, the CO2 atmospheric concentration has increased from 270 ppm before the industrial revolution to 400 ppm today and its annual release is predicted to exceed 40GT/year by 2030. As the world population increases, breakthrough technologies tackling both fuel supply and carbon emission challenges are needed. The use of CO2 from, or captured in industrial processes, as a direct feedstock for chemical fuel production, are crucial for reducing green house gas emission and for sustainable fuel production with the existing resources. The aim of this project is to develop a breakthrough technology with integrated low cost bio-electrochemical processes to convert CO2 into liquid fuels for transportations, energy storage, heating and other applications. CO2 is firstly electrochemically reduced to formate with the electric energy from biomass and various wastes and other renewable sources by Bioelectrochemical systems (BES). The product then goes through a biotransformation SimCell reactor with microorganisms (Ralstonia) specialised in converting formate to medium chain alkanes using a Synthetic biology approach. The proposed technology will develop around the existing wastewater treatment facilities from for example, petroleum refineries and water industries, utilising the carbon source in wastewater, thus minimising the requirement to transport materials and use additional land. To tackle the grand challenges, a multidisciplinary team of five universities will work together to develop this groundbreaking technology. Our research targets two specific aspects on renewable low carbon fuel generation: 1) Use of biomass and wastewater as a source of energy and reducing power to synthesise chemicals from CO2. 2) Interface electrochemical and biological processes to achieve chemical energy-to-fuels transformation. To achieve the goal of this project, there are three major research challenges we need to tackle: 1. How to maximise the power output and energy from wastewater with Bioelectrochemical systems? 2. How to achieve CO2 conversion to medium chain alkanes through reduction to formate in Microbial electrolysis cells, and then SimCells? 3. Can we develop a viable, integrated, efficient and economic system combining bio-electrochemical and biological processes for sustainable liquid fuel production? To tackle these challenges, we need to maximise energy output from wastewater by using novel 3-D materials, to apply highly active electrochemical catalysts for CO2 reduction, to improve efficiency of SimCell reactor, and to integrate both processes and design a new system to convert CO2 to medium chain alkanes with high efficiency. In this study, rigorous LCA will be carried out to identify the optimum pathways for liquid biofuel production. We will also look at the policies on low carbon fuel production and explore the ways to influence low carbon fuel policies. Through the development of this innovative technology, we will bring positive impact on the UK's target for reducing CO2 emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy.

In many developing countries, rising energy demand, and consequently carbon emissions, is seen as an unequivocal indicator of increasing prosperity. This trajectory has important consequences not just for global carbon emissions but for the ability of countries such as India to achieve its developmental goals. This is because, in most developing countries, growth in energy demand far outstrips growth in supply due to the large capital investment required to build energy infrastructure. Thus, even people *with* access to energy networks often find that they are unable to meet their comfort needs due to supply shortages. However, the most critical problem is often not mean demand - e.g. mean per capita energy demand in India is only 13% that of the UK - but rather **peak demand** as it lays immense stress on already fragile networks. Hence, people's ability to attain comfortable internal conditions is compromised at the precise time that they need it the most - during extreme heat or cold. This project directly addresses the problem of peak demand reduction by aiming to eliminate peak demand in buildings, where it is created. In most developing countries, the vast majority of the building stock of the future is still to be built, so there is a real opportunity to decouple economic growth from building energy use whilst ensuring comfortable conditions. We aim to achieve this through laying the foundations for a **new science of zero peak energy building design** for warm climates. This will be achieved through a careful consideration of the weather signal (now and in the future) which is critical for any realistic assessment of mean dan peak energy demand. A second focus is on delivering a method of construction that is compatible not only with the Indian climate but also its building practices and social customs, thus avoiding the trap of an "imported" standard. This will be delivered through the creation of 60 pathways for a range of building types in 6 cities comprising different climates. Finally, we will also consider how loads can be moved between buildings to achieve a smooth demand profile at network level.

The goal of this project is to develop a detailed understanding of microbial metabolism through computational modelling and therefore to guide rational design of microbes (i.e., identification of gene knockouts, up/down-regulation targets) into cell factories as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical production routes for low-carbon production of value-added molecules, such as recombinant protein and human milk ingredients. Computational simulation of microbial metabolic activities combined with experimental validation studies will provide new insights into microbial systems by making reliable predictions of the flow of various chemical substances in cell metabolism, which will be able to direct the design of cells by regulating cell's energy and carbon flow towards the synthesis of molecules of interests. In turn this will lead to the development of a new computational tool for effective cell factory design that maximises microbes' production performance and accelerates their deployment in biomanufacturing industry for the transition to a biological economy. Important outcomes of the project include not only new knowledge and understanding of microbial systems but also the development of a set of bioinformatics tools available for studying cell physiology and designing productive microbial systems for engineering biology applications.

We intend to develop a point-of-care Quantum-dot (QD) based multianalyte biosensors that can be used for the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The multianalyte biosensors will be developed for sensing glucose, urea, pH and electrolytes like sodium, potassium and bicarbonate. These biosensors will be housed in a micro-fabricated cuvette (completed) for low-volume plasma detection. The biosensor laden micro-fabricated cuvette with the plasma sample will then sensed for QD's fluorescence f or determining various analyte concentrations. The QD's fluorescence will be measured using an indigenously developed fluorescence reader. Indigenously developed fluorescence reader abides with the low-cost and affordability of the health-care need of India. The QDs that will be used include CdTe and CdTe-CdS-ZnS that are stabilized using appropriate ligands like mercaptopropionic acid and glutathione, depending on the sensing analyte. The first key goal is to develop and validate the three bios ensors (Glucose, Sodium and Potassium, and pH) essential for the management of DKA. After validation using plasma samples, second primary goal is to validate the sensors using the indigenously developed fluorescence reader. Other key goals include the development and validation of the urea and bicarbonate sensor along with the pilot validation of the complete device using a tertiary health-care centre.

Intractable Epilepsy & Disability - An Intensive Closed Interdisciplinary Workshop, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India, 9-10 December, 2006. Intractable epilepsy (epilepsy that is not controlled by the use of anti-epileptic drugs) is a disabling illness. People with IE have significant medical and psychiatry co-morbidity, are less likely to have achieved higher educational qualifications, to be employed or married. IE demands the lifelong use of drugs which have considerable side effects and People with IE also perceive a considerable burden of stigma especially so in developing nations. Yet, IE is not a registerable disability in India and the person with IE is not eligible for various social and economic supportive measures available to others. This workshop brings together epilepsy and disability professionals as well as key policy makers in an effort to initiate meaningful debate and to develop a policy document that will be presented to the Government. Topics: An introduction to the workshop (Convenor) The Concept of Intractable Epilepsy (IE) and special implications in India The WHO Definition of Disability (based on WHODAS) National Policy on Disability: An Overview and Critique Do these concepts apply to IE (behavioural and subjective experience; stationary, fluctuating, progressive)? Why should IE be considered as a disability for statutory benefits? IE & Disability - Presentation and discussion of Research Data from Mumbai.