The Reverse Coal Project at the University of Lincoln is celebrating after picking up the accolade of Highly Commended at an internationally recognised award ceremony last week.

The Reverse Coal Project, led by a team from The Lapwing Estate and the University of Lincoln were present at the UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards on Thursday 30 November in Liverpool.

The project is collaboration with The Lapwing Estate and other industry partners to reverse the impact of coal via an engineered natural solution to extract carbon from the atmosphere and return it back into the geological reserve for long term storage.

The team behind the project is made up of academics, farmers and engineers, including those from the University’s School of Engineering and the Lincoln Institute of Agri-food Technology (LIAT).

Judges at the awards commented on the project:

‘Wow! What an incredible project. The potential impact is huge. And congratulations to the university team for developing the business case. This is such a timely and important piece of work.

‘An important piece of collaborative research on capture carbon and peat land restoration. It has attracted external research funding, good industrial links and well-designed research’.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln Professor Neal Juster said:

“We’re delighted to receive this award in recognition of our work on the Reverse Coal project and the significant benefits it will deliver, including carbon capture and storage, biodiversity gain, flood mitigation and food security.

“Our vision is to embed sustainability as a core value running across all the activities of the University of Lincoln. We believe that, in addition to reducing our own carbon footprint, we can make a very significant impact by advancing research that aids others in the transition to Net Zero.”

Amir Badiee, Reverse Coal Project Lead from the University of Lincoln said:

“Receiving the Green Gown Award, particularly in the Research with Impact category, is an immense honour. It is a profound validation of our commitment to Net Zero transition.

“It underscores the significance of Reverse Coal project in contributing to Net-Zero research and a responsible future.”James Brown, Director at The Lapwing Estate said:

“The University of Lincoln has played a pivotal role in our journey to reverse the impact of coal through the Reverse Coal Project.

The Reverse Coal Project serves as a crucial steppingstone towards the scalable, sustainable future we envision. It demonstrates the potential of innovative solutions to address environmental challenges, paving the way for broader adoption and positive impact on a global scale.”

The Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland has been recognising sustainability excellence in Higher Education since 2004 and are delivered by the EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, in association with UKRI – UK Research and Innovation.

To find out more about this innovative project, see the video HERE