The BioReGen initiative, led by an environmental expert at Teeside University, was selected as one of the 14 best EU-supported LIFE Environment projects completed throughout Europe in 2010.
The project found that reed canary grass grows well on a variety of marginal or brownfield land types which are not currently being used.
Dr Richard Lord, a reader in environmental geochemistry & sustainability, will receive the award plaque in person at the European Parliament in Brussels on 25 May.
He said: “We are now actively engaged with a number of major industrial landowners who are implementing the results of the research in commercial projects.
“It’s a real conundrum as to how we produce the biomass we need to reduce carbon emissions without affecting food supply.”
Maxine Perella