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 artikelTiny worms are already causing havoc among beech in North-America. New research shows that also European beech is susceptible to this invasive pest, raising concerns for the health of European forests.
Alcohol-free beer still needs improvement in taste. Scott Lafontaine’s research in ACS Food Science & Technology looks at alternative yeasts that can be used to brew tastier beers.
Isabelle Kohler reflects on the recent all-female space flight and the media’s focus on celebrities over scientists. She shares actionable steps researchers can take to foster a more inclusive and equitable academic culture.
Nijmegen-based Tagworks has passed the investigational new drug (IND) review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its antibody-drug conjugate TGW101. A Phase 1 clinical trial is now being initiated in the US.
Les réactions photocatalytiques sont un sujet d’actualité, mais passer de l’échelle du laboratoire à l’échelle industrielle reste un défi. Le consortium PhotoScale concevra un photoréacteur à disque rotatif qui permettra de réaliser des réactions photocatalytiques intéressantes sur le plan pharmaceutique à une échelle relativement grande.
Ceux qui développent des méthodes de séparations chromatographiques le savent bien : séparer des mélanges (complexes) demande beaucoup de travail. Mais avec la naissance de du machine learning, un groupe de l’Université de Louvain parvient à accélérer efficacement le processus. Les personnes sont souvent bloquées par leurs propres méthodes.
Obulytix, une spin-off de l’UGent et de la KU Leuven, voit dans les protéines issues des bactériophages un moyen de résoudre le problème croissant de la résistance aux antibiotiques. « Cela nous permettrait de créer un antibiotique optimal contre toute infection bactérienne possible. »