This special edition, produced in collaboration with the consortium ARC CBBC, explores the concept of the “Refinery of the Future”, a crucial yet challenging vision. Would it be possible to build a fully fossil-free refinery that could meet post-2050 demands by employing new feedstocks, new energy sources and new processes? You’ll find answers to this question and much more in this special.
Researchers from Utrecht, Eindhoven and Delft are teaming up with several industrial partners in a five-year multilateral ARC CBBC project to carry out optimisation at both atomic and reactor scale of methane pyrolysis.
Lees artikelDefining the future of the chemical industry is a good start, but realizing these visions will prove challenging. We asked Bas de Bruin, Guido Mul and Atsushi Urakawa, all of them PIs within ARC CBBC, to share their ideas on how we can turn that envisioned future into reality.
If you ask ARC CBBC researchers, future coatings will be able to adapt to light, temperature or chemicals and even be self-healing.
Electrosynthesis is gaining traction as an interesting method to enable sustainable production processes. For example, by creating relevant chemical building blocks from carbohydrates.
Colour is an intriguing phenomenon, as it is truly in the eye of the beholder. To create that sensation of colour, nanometer-scale particles need to be structured in just the right way.
Lees artikelTo keep pace with a rapidly changing world, the chemical industry will have to reinvent itself, says Bert Weckhuysen, scientific director of the ARC CBBC consortium.
Lees artikelWhen you’re driven by something bigger than yourself, it’s hard to put your work down, says Thomas Freese (32).
With the end of her PhD track in sight, Sofie Ferwerda explains how she navigates the worlds of academia and industry in her research, which includes a collaboration with BASF.
Combining transdisciplinary challenge-based education with design thinking creates a unique environment for students to learn skills that will help them navigate sustainability transitions.
You won’t see editor-in-chief Esther Thole charging down a black slope. But when it comes to mindblowing science, she can stomach steep descents and sharp curves.
Lees artikelMarie Brands just went for it. Driven by her passion for sustainability, she founded Elexel, an independent electrolyzer testing and scale-up service company. Though it is still in its early stages, she dreams big.
Lees artikelUsing triazine-thiol exchange, a group from Nijmegen was able to program cysteine modifications in peptides by varying the pH, they report in ChemistryEurope.
Everything about publishing science is now digital, except for the price tag. Sjoerd Rijpkema wonders how long this can be sustained.
The 3D bioprinting of functional tissues is a complex, step-by-step process that depends on the designer. Now, however, biomedical engineers at Utrecht University have developed new technology published in Nature that integrates advanced imaging and artificial intelligence, enabling the 3D bioprinter to observe and analyse.
Vivici is entering the food market by producing high-quality, sustainable protein through precision fermentation. Founded in 2023, Vivici has already made significant progress. The next step is to convince as many customers as possible. ‘The food business is a business based on trust.’
Leuven researchers have found a way to transform toluene into nitriles using electrochemistry, ammonia and… water! They report on this simple and potentially environmentally friendly procedure in ChemElectroChem.
Isabelle Kohler explores how early-career researchers can develop internal validation skills to find genuine fulfillment and authentic career direction while breaking free from the pressure to constantly perform for others.
The National Growth Fund project, ‘Big Chemistry’, has provided eight consortia with €2.8 million. The projects focus on accelerating the search for chemicals with the desired properties.