The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology is a partner in a project worth over €2.1 million that aims to create a research centre aimed at supporting local authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises, mainly in the building and construction sector, to implement sustainable consumption and production strategies, environmental sustainability and renewable energy exploitation.
The project, called Crim-Safri, will also set up a biomass pilot plant within an SME to convert wood waste into energy. This will be fed into the national grid to generate revenue for the firm, besides reducing the amount of waste it needs to dispose of.
The pilot research on biomass conversion for small firms is expected to provide new knowledge on how these firms can become more sustainable by turning their waste into energy, as opposed to disposing of it.
The other project partners are the Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency and various entities from the south of Italy.
The project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Italia-Malta Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013.