RECYCLE it Global: Knowledge Transfer Partnership boosts marine bioremediation

RECYCLE it Global (RIG) is partnering with the University of Plymouth through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to fast-track the development of pioneering marine bioremediation technology.

According to RIG, this technology is designed to convert contaminated dredged sediments into sustainable, high-value construction aggregates while advancing environmental protection and the circular economy.

RIG also added that these early engagements have reinforced the shared ambition behind the partnership: to combine applied research excellence with industrial innovation to tackle the complex challenge of contaminated marine dredged materials and unlock new, sustainable opportunities for their reuse.

“The UK, and the rest of the world, have an urgent need for cost-effective and sustainable solutions to manage contaminated dredging waste generated in ports globally. With the inevitable tightening of contamination limits in the UK on the horizon, it is more important than ever that viable solutions are developed,” said Oscar Milverton Gatta, Co-Founder and CTO of Recycle it Global.

“This technology will be first deployed at RIG’s port in Plymouth, establishing a flagship project with the potential to scale nationally and globally. RIG is proud to be working in partnership with the University of Plymouth, the largest university in our founding city, combining cutting-edge research with industrial innovation to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the maritime sector.”

Through the Innovate UK–funded KTP, the project will remove contaminants from dredging waste across a range of waste streams, with a particular focus on marine dredged materials.

The technology will be adaptable to a variety of biochemical conditions, enabling RIG to process and land large volumes of dredged material from Plymouth and across the UK that cannot be handled through conventional disposal routes.