Chemical engineers scoop Dragon's Den style award

A team of UK Chemical Engineers have won the support of an International PR agency, after being awarded top spot in a Dragon’s Den style competition.

A similar setting to the BBC show Dragon’s Den awaited the hopeful chemical engineers

Carbon8 Systems – headed by Professor Stefaan Simons and Dr Paula Carey, provides fast and environmentally friendly solutions for the treatment of industrial wastes and contaminated soils. Using a process called Accelerated Carbonation Technology, Carbon8 utilises waste carbon dioxide to produce materials that can be either reused or disposed of in a more cost-effective way.

Simons says he hopes the PR support will help raise the profile of Carbon8: “We have been looking to recruit a PR agency to support our work and help grow the company. Working with Lewis will give us an opportunity to see how such relationships work and hopefully start to take things forward.”

In a similar setting to the hit BBC TV show, Dragon’s Den, Simons and Carey fought off competition from 14 other entrepreneurs to earn a month’s free PR support from Lewis PR. The judging panel included Dan Illet from the UK’s Financial Times and Matthew Farrow, a Director at the Confederation of British Industries (CBI).

Dr David Brown, Chief Executive at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) welcomed the success: “This is an excellent example of how chemical engineers are working to build a prosperous, cleaner, safer more sustainable society. Raising the profile of work like Carbon8 is good news for the profession as a whole.”