By Business & Finance 
Pictured in London are Kerry Mashford, CEO, National Energy Foundation and an Energy Awards 2014 judge; Dr Eoin Syron, co-founder, OxyMem; Nigel Coombes, OxyMem and Alun Cochrane, comedian and event host.
OxyMem, a UCD spin-out company, has won the Energy Efficient Technology of the Year Award at the UK Energy Awards 2014.
OxyMem, the only Irish company among the award winners, was chosen on the basis of its innovation, widespread applicability and its overall positive impact for energy demand and the environment.
This achievement sees OxyMem characterised as a leading technology in the field of energy demand reduction with high market potential in the UK.
With an audience of over 550 people from across the UK energy sector, the Energy Awards 2014 recognised and rewarded both supply and demand-side excellence within the energy sector.
The awards acknowledged achievement in carbon reduction and energy efficiency, energy supply, brokering as well as products and services. Judges for each category were made up of leading industry experts gathered from across business, academia and government.
Wayne Byrne, managing director, OxyMem said: “We are delighted to have received recognition for our energy neutral solution and are thrilled to be recognised by our peers in the UK. This award suggests that we are truly recognised as an innovative solution for the reduction of energy demand both at home and abroad.”
Following the awards, Will Bolting, who organised the Energy Awards 2014 said: “The esteemed judging panel had the very difficult task of narrowing down the entries to an exceptional shortlist and then to select the very worthy winners. The judges were extremely impressed with all the hard work and innovation displayed by the entrants this year.”
OxyMem, which is based in Athlone, was co-founded in 2013 by Professor Eoin Casey and Dr Eoin Syron as spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, and is commercialising a breakthrough UCD technology, the Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR), to address the global need for a more energy efficient aeration solution for wastewater treatment.
Professor Orla Feely, UCD vice-president for Research, Innovation and Impact said: “I would like to congratulate OxyMem on winning the Energy Efficient Technology of the Year Award at the prestigious Energy Awards 2014 held in London. By winning this Award, and by being the only Irish company among the award winners, OxyMem is demonstrating the quality and global impact of UCD spin-out companies which are commercialising world-class research outputs. It also reflects the quality of the supports provided to our spin-out companies through the technology transfer and enterprise development teams at NovaUCD. I wish OxyMem continued success in addressing the global need for a more energy efficient aeration solution for wastewater treatment.”
Wayne Byrne added: “OxyMem has had an incredible year of recognition in 2014, having now accumulated a total of 8 awards between Ireland, The UK and Europe, for our breakthrough technology for wastewater treatment,”
OxyMem will travel to New York next week as the only Irish finalist in the 2014 Platts Global Energy Awards which are often described as the ‘Oscars of the energy industry’. OxyMem has been shortlisted in the Leading Technology Award in the Sustainable Innovation category.
