Cardiff Catalysis Researchers win RSC Emerging Technologies Competition for 2025

We’re delighted to congratulate the Cardiff Catalysis Institute team on being named as a winner in the Enabling Technologies category of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Emerging Technologies Competition 2025, for their Hydro‑Oxy technology.

To achieve this accolade, teams of finalists presented to a panel of industry heavyweights from some of the most prominent companies in the world, covering both the science of their innovations as well as the market opportunities and commercial impact. The winning teams were announced after a nail-biting final in London, whereupon the winners share £100,000 of no strings funding and invaluable support to accelerate their commercialisation activities.

Dr Helen Pain, CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Our annual Emerging Technologies Competition celebrates the very best of chemical science innovation while catapulting exciting ideas towards commercialisation.”

“It was a closely fought competition this year and I would like to personally congratulate all the winners and finalists on their success - and especially for battling on through a power cut in central London which meant many had to pitch without visual presentations. Previous winners have gone on to raise millions of pounds in equity investment and grant funding, and I cannot wait to watch our 2025 winners go from strength to strength.”

Hydro‑Oxy is a revolutionary catalytic system that produces hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) directly within industrial processes, leading to considerable process intensification, improved sustainability metrics and reduced safety concerns, all while rivalling the performance of state-of-the-art industrial processes.

Currently, H₂O₂ is produced off-site, via a costly, energy intensive and hazardous process that requires large volumes of water and releases significant quantities of CO₂.  Hydro‑Oxy decouples H₂O₂ production from use, slashing energy requirements and production costs. For major chemical industries, this means cleaner, safer and more sustainable manufacturing, importantly the Hydro-Oxy technology is retro-fit ready so can be readily introduced into existing chemical infrastructure - offering a blueprint for greener chemical sector.

Dr Richard Lewis, the project lead from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute said: “This award is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team, whose years of hard work and commitment have brought this technology to life. We’re immensely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this project and helped advance the field of sustainable chemical production.”

The Cardiff team has benefited from support from the Sustainable Chemicals and Materials Manufacturing Hub (SCHEMA Hub), a multi-partner, multi-disciplinary programme convening researchers from across the UK with a large consortium of commercial, technology translation, and civic partners to improve the sustainability of chemical production. The Hub is funded by an £11 million investment from the EPSRC as part of their manufacturing research hubs for a sustainable future, and leverages a further £22 million in support from strategic partners.

For Cardiff, Hydro‑Oxy is more than an academic milestone—it represents tech ready for real‑world deployment. Winning national attention at the RSC competition highlights Cardiff School of Chemistry’s ongoing global leadership in translational catalytic research.