by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Award-winning green firm Carbon8 is poised to land lucrative export deals.

The world-leading company, based at the University of Greenwich campus in Chatham Maritime, was founded in 2006 by scientists Paula Carey and Dr Colin Hills.

The university spin-out uses carbon dioxide gas to treat industrial waste and contaminated soils.

It notched up a world first by manufacturing aggregate products for the construction industry at the same time as capturing carbon dioxide directly from landfill gas.

It developed this technique at North Farm, Ashford, last year. It also works with the operators of Allington waste incinerator near Maidstone on air pollution control.

The pioneering technology is widely forecast to turn the firm into a multi-million pound business in a global market already worth more than £3 trillion and expected to exceed £4.5 trillion by 2015.

Carbon8 Systems is now exploring opportunities in the USA and Canada, where it already has patents, and in Europe and Australia

This potential has been recognised by UK Trade and Investment South East, and the enterprise has won numerous awards, including Company of the Year in the prestigious Environment Awards for Kent Business in 2008.

After years of research, Carbon8 is now on brink of a commercial breakthrough.

Dr Carey said: "We are pushing forward in terms of commercial overseas activities. But we are taking our time to get it right."

She added: "Accelerated carbonation has a significant positive environmental impact in that it prevents a hazardous waste going to landfill, reduces the need for natural aggregate and captures carbon dioxide from the environment, helping to fight global warming."