INVENT 2025 Finalist: RegeN Technologies
Founders name: Prof. Haresh Manyar, Dr. Juan Jose Villora Pico, Dr. Faisal Zafar, Gareth Caves
What was the “aha” moment that sparked your idea?
The “aha” moment came during a walk in Silent Valley, when I noticed how lotus leaves naturally repel water and create unique microenvironments on their surface. It struck me that nature has perfected ways of controlling interactions at the molecular level, something our industrial catalysts struggle to do.
That observation inspired me to think differently about CO₂ conversion: if plants and surfaces in nature can manage molecules so efficiently, why can’t we design catalysts that do the same? By mimicking these bio-inspired principles, we began developing catalysts with tailored active sites and porous structures that stabilise CO₂ and convert it into methanol under milder, more sustainable conditions.
The problem we are solving is twofold: tackling the urgent challenge of CO₂ emissions while producing methanol — a clean fuel and vital chemical feedstock. By drawing inspiration from nature and combining it with advanced catalytic science, we aim to deliver scalable solutions for a circular, net-zero future.
What is your background?
Prof. Haresh Manyar brings over 25 years of expertise in sustainable catalysis, with 85+ publications, 11 patents/innovation disclosures, an H-index of 31, and more than 3,000 citations. He has secured over £3.5M in funding through collaborations with industry and funding bodies. His innovations have been recognised with awards including the 2021 SHV Open Innovation Challenge (biomass-to-LPG) and Innovate UK’s FAST KTP project, ranked in the top three of 800 entries for the 2023 Best of the Best Award. He has pioneered new processes for CO₂-to-methanol and cyclic carbonates, scaled waste-oil biofuels to pilot level, and led industrial partnerships on biomass valorisation, CO₂ hydrogenation, green hydrogen, and techno-economic analysis — expertise that underpins his leadership of RegeN Technologies.
Dr. Juan Jose Villora Pico brings eight years of experience in environmental catalysis, specialising in CO₂ valorisation, RWGS, and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. He has published 20+ papers, presented at 25+ international conferences, and received awards including the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry’s Best PhD Thesis (2nd prize) and finalist in the Young Researchers Awards of the Institute of Materials of Alicante. In RegeN, he will support catalyst and reactor module innovations for CO2 hydrogenation to net-zero fuels.
Dr. Faisal Zafar has more than eight years experience in CO2 to methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) technology with expertise in catalyst design, reaction engineering and Aspen process simulations. His skills are the key to development of portable reactor modules for methanol synthesis, ready for commercial deployment at customer sites.
Gareth Caves is Commercialisation Manager (Net Zero & Physical Sciences) at Queen's University Belfast. He is helping RegeN in managing and developing all the commercial activity, along with identifying new market opportunities, maximising secondary spend and negotiating and agreeing commercial contracts.
Tell us a bit about your solution
Our solution combines a nature-inspired catalyst with an innovative reactor design to turn CO₂ and green hydrogen directly into methanol and, in one step, dimethyl ether or DME.
The catalyst is inspired by the nanostructure of a lotus leaf, which controls interactions at the molecular level. By mimicking these principles, we achieve higher selectivity and activity, effectively making thermodynamics work in our favour.
The reactor takes inspiration from the stepping stones in Tollymore Forest Park, designed to enhance turbulent flow and optimise heat and mass transfer. This allows the catalyst to work more efficiently in a scalable, continuous process that outperforms other commercial systems.
What first impression do you want users to have when they experience/use your product?
We want users’ first impression to be that this is a practical, scalable, and game-changing solution — not just a lab curiosity. They should immediately see that we’re offering a technology that is inspired by nature, engineered for industry, and designed to deliver real impact.
When they experience our product, we want them to think: “This makes CO₂ conversion to fuels and chemicals not only possible, but viable, efficient, and sustainable.”
It should inspire confidence that they are adopting a solution that reduces emissions, integrates into existing infrastructure, and moves them closer to their net-zero goals while opening new economic opportunities.
Where do you hope to be in five years?
In five years, we aim to have the first commercial RegeN plants operating on the island of Ireland — the first of their kind — producing thousands of litres of methanol and DME every day. These plants will not only showcase that CO₂ can be turned into valuable fuels and chemicals at scale, but also mitigate millions of tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Our vision is to position RegeN as a leader in low-carbon technologies, proving that solutions inspired by nature can deliver both industrial impact and climate impact, while creating a scalable model for global deployment.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve received so far?
The best feedback we’ve received so far is that our technology is “both visionary and practical.” One industry partner told us, “They found it very exciting, because this isn’t just blue-sky science, but you’ve designed something that can actually slot into existing infrastructure and make a real dent in CO₂ emissions.”
That feedback confirmed we’re not just developing an exciting catalyst in the lab, but a commercially relevant solution with the potential to transform how we produce fuels and chemicals.