UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Surrey
Department Name: Chemical Engineering
Abstract
The UK chemical sector has an annual turnover of over £32 billion with 99,000 direct jobs in 2016. The Centre's vision is to transform the UK's chemical industry into a fossil-independent, climate-positive and environmentally-friendly circular chemical economy. The overall novelty of our programme is the development of a sector-wide solution with deep circularity interventions, by creating a circular resources flow of olefin-the raw material for 70% of all organic chemical production. Our whole system approach will include key sectors of production, transportation/distribution, refinery/downstream, use and waste recycling, to reduce fossil reliance and improve productivity and sustainability of the whole process industry.
The Centre will generate a cross-disciplinary platform combining synergistic innovations in science/engineering with social scientists to comprehend the whole system industrial symbiosis and market/policy/incentive design. The Core Research Programme is organised around three interconnected themes: (1) Key technologies to enable olefin production from alternative/recycling wastes streams and design more reusable chemicals via advanced catalytic processes; (2) Process integration, whole system analysis and value chain evaluation, and (3) Policy, society and finance. Through detailed process modelling, economic analysis and environmental assessment of technology solutions along the supply chain, accelerated understanding, opportunities and optimum solutions to achieve circularity of olefin-derived resources flow will be attained. These activities are embedded with stakeholders involving all affected groups, including local SMEs and downstream users, and will provide evidence and data for policymakers.
The Centre will engage with users through social studies and organised events, and exploit consumer/business behavioural change related to chemical systems enabling a sustainable community and society with innovative technologies.
The Centre will generate a cross-disciplinary platform combining synergistic innovations in science/engineering with social scientists to comprehend the whole system industrial symbiosis and market/policy/incentive design. The Core Research Programme is organised around three interconnected themes: (1) Key technologies to enable olefin production from alternative/recycling wastes streams and design more reusable chemicals via advanced catalytic processes; (2) Process integration, whole system analysis and value chain evaluation, and (3) Policy, society and finance. Through detailed process modelling, economic analysis and environmental assessment of technology solutions along the supply chain, accelerated understanding, opportunities and optimum solutions to achieve circularity of olefin-derived resources flow will be attained. These activities are embedded with stakeholders involving all affected groups, including local SMEs and downstream users, and will provide evidence and data for policymakers.
The Centre will engage with users through social studies and organised events, and exploit consumer/business behavioural change related to chemical systems enabling a sustainable community and society with innovative technologies.
Organisations
- University of Surrey (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Barcelona (Collaboration)
- C-Capture Ltd. (Collaboration)
- Aarhus University (Collaboration)
- Zinergy UK ltd (Project Partner)
- Scottish Enterprise (Project Partner)
- Centre for Process Innovation (Project Partner)
- Chivas Brothers (Project Partner)
- European Bioplastics (Project Partner)
- Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd (Project Partner)
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Project Partner)
- PV3 Technologies Ltd (Project Partner)
- Du Pont Teijin Films (Project Partner)
- Lubrizol Limited (Project Partner)
- Johnson Matthey (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- NSG Group (UK) (Project Partner)
- NiTech Solutions Ltd (Project Partner)
- National Chiao Tung University (Project Partner)
- Plastic Energy (Project Partner)
- Ceres Power Limited (Project Partner)
- WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Prog) (Project Partner)
- Unilever UK Central Resources Limited (Project Partner)
- Ethical Finance Hub Ltd (Project Partner)
- Zero Waste Scotland (Project Partner)
- Croda Europe Ltd (Project Partner)
- Princeton University (Project Partner)
- Shell Research UK (Project Partner)
- Chemical Sciences Scotland (Project Partner)
Publications
Agrawal K
(2022)
Hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol over orthorhombic molybdenum carbide: a DFT and microkinetic study
in Catalysis Science & Technology
Baaqel HA
(2023)
Global Sensitivity Analysis in Life-Cycle Assessment of Early-Stage Technology using Detailed Process Simulation: Application to Dialkylimidazolium Ionic Liquid Production.
in ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering
Banerji LC
(2024)
Studying the cation dependence of CO2 reduction intermediates at Cu by in situ VSFG spectroscopy.
in Chemical science
Bernardi A
(2023)
33rd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering
Daniel T
(2024)
Responsible use of Generative AI in chemical engineering
in Digital Chemical Engineering
Eagle C
(2023)
A manganese complex on a gas diffusion electrode for selective CO 2 to CO reduction
in Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Fisher O
(2024)
Responsive CO 2 capture: predictive multi-objective optimisation for managing intermittent flue gas and renewable energy supply
in Reaction Chemistry & Engineering
Galdeano-Ruano C
(2024)
Developing and understanding Leaching-Resistant cobalt nanoparticles via N/P incorporation for liquid phase hydroformylation
in Journal of Catalysis
Related Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Award Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/V011863/1 | 01/01/2021 | 30/08/2022 | £4,436,401 | ||
| EP/V011863/2 | Transfer | EP/V011863/1 | 31/08/2022 | 30/03/2025 | £2,766,104 |
| Description | • New knowledge generated from theme 1 (enabling technologies) has informed a comprehensive model-based comparison between single- or two-stage electrocatalytic and thermocatalytic CO2 conversion pathways into ethylene using green electricity led by theme 2 (systems). The most competitive technologies (direct CO2 electroreduction and CO2 catalytic hydrogenation) followed by methanol-to-olefins) have a predicted cost about 3 times that of the current ethylene market price based on proven catalyst performance), and electricity needs to meet the UK's annual ethylene production (2.8 Mt per year) are a significant fraction (30-50%) of the UK's electricity production, thereby informing further technology development in theme 1. This body of work will also guide the grand planning UK's circular olefin production from alternative feedstocks. • At process level, the potential of ethane cracker electrification was assessed through detailed process modelling of both the cracker and its downstream separation train. The study highlighted high heat integration potential, e.g., compared to a gas-fired cracker retrofitted with a carbon capture unit, demonstrating the need for detailed process modelling instead of simple short-cut models. • A model-based assessment of the solid waste route to ethylene was refined for upcycling of sorted polyolefinic plastics, comparing a depolymerization reactor based on fast pyrolysis with established feedstock-recycling pyrolysis technology. Key findings include a significantly higher economic potential of the latter, despite presenting a lower ethylene yield, insofar as the pyrolysis oils can be co-fed to the naphtha cracker of an existing refinery. |
| Exploitation Route | We have hosted several well-attended industrial engagement events to initiate and build industrial contacts (e.g. Unilever, BASF, Croda, Suez, CPI, ReNew ELP, Chivas Brothers, Greenskill Environmental Technology, Scottish Water, Scottish Enterprise, NEPIC, LanzaTech, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Natwest, Biffa, Britvic, Johnson Matthey, EMR, Ineos, Ceres Power, Reckitt, Lubrizol, and Viridor). Follow up discussions and events are enabling us to build sustained relationships with these partners, enabling us to now focus the second half of our project on co-creation of research across and between all Themes. |
| Sectors | Chemicals |
| Description | Although, the impact of our work is at an early stage, we have identified pathways to accelerate impact and some early impacts have already been seen. Our new circular chemical technologies developments have generated knowledge and influenced several industrial partners in adopting or preparing to adopt these new technologies to make their chemical productions more sustainable. For example, our electrochemical CO2-to-olefin technology has attracted investments from INEOS (UK's largest olefin producer) in the form of innovation fund for sustainable ethylene production. This will inform the company's electrochemical transformation towards circular economy productions. In another case, we have used our technology development to help build a circular chemical economy case for the maritime sector for a group of companies (Expleo, Rolls-Royce, Ceres, Bibby Marine). Also, our new circular technology and initial TEA and LCA have resulted in the design of the UK's -first-ever circular value chain for consumer good product from industrial waste gases (to be built in two years) via the Flue2Chem project. By engaging with NEPIC and the Humber cluster, we are part of a cross-cluster network that explores integration, scale up and delivery of demonstrators for circular chemical economy. We have recently submitted a joint proposal to Innovate UK's NICER programme call to support this work. In addition to this we are also working with the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDRIC) to accelerate impact. In our commitment to provide professional development opportunities and foster ED&I within our team, we have actively encouraged early career researchers to work on cross disciplinary projects. For instance, one of our Theme 1 PDRAs participated in a 3-month policy secondment project in collaboration with WRAP to identify/evaluate the most promising technologies for recycling chemicals from 'sludge', accounting for ~7 million tonnes of residual wastes. This work highlighted significant challenges with the current classification and processing of this highly mixed waste stream, impeding the application of a single processing solution. |
| Sector | Chemicals |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8576/carbon-capture-usage-and-storage/ |
| Description | Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.wales/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage-ccus |
| Description | Catalysing Change: Defossilising the chemical industry |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/defossilising-chemicals/defossilising-chemical-indu... |
| Description | Chemicals Sector Target-Setting Criteria Second Consultation Draft |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/Chemicals-Sector-Criteria-2nd-Consultation-Draft.pdf |
| Description | Circular Economy Strategy for Northern Ireland - online consultation |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/consultations/circular-economy-strategy-northern-ireland |
| Description | Circular economy and waste route map to 2030: consultation |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-circular-economy-waste-route-map-2030-consultation/pages... |
| Description | Consultation on the introduction of a UK carbon border adjustment mechanism |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-a-uk-carbon-border-a... |
| Description | Contribution to policy paper from RS on green chemicals industry |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Draft Bioenergy Policy Statement: Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/draft-bioenergy-policy-statement-cons... |
| Description | Financing a Circular Chemical Economy - Policy White Paper |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Financing-a-Circular-Chemical-Economy-P... |
| Description | HMG research into potential benefits from resource efficiency in the chemicals sector |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Industrial Strategy Inquiry |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8882/industrial-strategy/ |
| Description | Industrial symbiosis: benefits, barriers, risks and costs Report |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6790f755cf977e4bf9a2f15c/industrial-symbiosis-researc... |
| Description | Innovation action plan to transform industrial waste gases to chemicals, Circular Economy Innovation Network. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/An-action-plan-to-Net-Zero-Report-2023-v2.pdf?fbcl... |
| Description | Invest 2035: the UK's modern industrial strategy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/invest-2035-the-uks-modern-industrial-strategy/invest-20... |
| Description | Just Transition to Net Zero Wales - online consultation |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.wales/just-transition-net-zero-wales |
| Description | Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee's call for evidence on the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill (2023) |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/circular-economy-scotland-bill/... |
| Description | Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, evidence on the Bill provided. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/net-zero-energy-and-transport-committee-november-28-2023 |
| Description | Public Accounts Committee: Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8576/carbon-capture-usage-and-storage/publications/ |
| Description | Resources and Waste provisional Common Framework, an inquiry launched by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee within the UK Parliament |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7401/resources-and-waste-provisional-common-framework/#:~:text... |
| Description | Rethinking Our Resources: Measures for Climate Action and a Circular Economy in NI |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/daera/rethinking-our-resources/consultation/ |
| Description | Technology Adoption Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/technology-adoption-review/technology-adoption-revi... |
| Description | UK ETS scope expansion - CCS: non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide consultation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-ets-scope-expansion-ccs-non-pipeline-transport-of-car... |
| Description | UK Parliament Post - Reducing Plastic Waste |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0724/POST-PN-0724.pdf |
| Description | ICURE - discover |
| Amount | £3,700 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2023 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Description | Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) - Flexible fund |
| Amount | £98,321 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2023 |
| End | 02/2024 |
| Description | OPP581: EPSRC Accelerating research outcomes to deliver a prosperous net zero: C-Circ, Accelerating the translation of CO2 Electrolysers |
| Amount | £799,859 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | APP51572 |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 03/2027 |
| Description | Partnership innovation fund - Sustainable ethylene production: a joint Uol - lneos pilot study of decarbonisation technology |
| Amount | £40,350 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2022 |
| End | 04/2023 |
| Description | Policy seedcorn funding |
| Amount | £14,490 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Loughborough University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | Bicarbonate reduction to CO |
| Organisation | Aarhus University |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have been exchanged knowledge on CO2 electrochemical reduction. My group provided atomistic rationalisation to their experiments. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge exchange. |
| Impact | Peer-reviewed research publications. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | C-capture Liverpool partnership on CO2 utilisaiton |
| Organisation | C-Capture Ltd. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We are carrying out catalysis studies on the gases provided by c-capture |
| Collaborator Contribution | c-capture have modified carbon capture test rigs at Drax power station and at NSG-pilkington to enable compression and storage of CO2 in cylinders that are trasport to the research team at the University of Liverpool. |
| Impact | We are testing captured carbon dioxide provided by c-capture from industrial sites (e.g. Drax, Pilkington float line) to explore the compatibility of our carbon dioxide utilisation technologies discovered with the capture technology of c-capture |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Computational catalyst design |
| Organisation | University of Barcelona |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The collaboration has opened a wide range of opportunities to share students, skills and knowledge regarding the computational design and techniques to model heterogeneous catalysts. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners at Barcelona send a PhD student for 3 months and, currently, it manages weekly meetings and access to computational resources for the student, which I am also externally supervising . |
| Impact | Peer-reviewed research publication. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Title | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS FOR THE REDUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE |
| Description | An electrochemical cell for the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The electrochemical cell comprises a cathode, an anode, an ion-exchange membrane separating the anode and cathode, and a gas supply for providing carbon dioxide gas to the cathode; wherein the cathode is provided by a gas diffusion electrode comprising a gas diffusion layer and a molecular catalyst. The ion-exchange membrane comprises a cation-exchange layer and the ion-exchange membrane is arranged in direct contact with the cathode and the anode. The molecular catalyst comprises cobalt and an organic ligand. A method of electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide in an electrochemical cell is also disclosed. |
| IP Reference | WO2024189365 |
| Protection | Patent / Patent application |
| Year Protection Granted | 2024 |
| Licensed | No |
| Title | IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE |
| Description | An electrochemical cell comprising a gas diffusion electrode for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. The gas diffusion electrode comprises a gas diffusion layer and a nickel or manganese-based molecular catalyst comprising an organic ligand. The gas diffusion electrode may provide a selective electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, in preference to hydrogen, and may be useful for the production of carbon monoxide from industrial waste gas streams of carbon dioxide. A nickel-based molecular catalyst and a method of electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide are also disclosed. |
| IP Reference | WO2022129895 |
| Protection | Patent / Patent application |
| Year Protection Granted | 2022 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | patent published seekign exploitation pathways with university ip team. Ongoing develoment of ip occurign with 2nd filing underway |
| Description | Accelerating Transition to Circular Economy: Overcoming the Barriers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem researchers Prof. Umit Bititci, Prof Bing Xu, Dr. Melissa Marques & Dr Matthew Royle presented at this Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) workshop. The workshop took place on Friday 28 April 2023 at Panmure House, Edinburgh. The workshop was organised as part of the IDRIC seminar series which aims to accelerate decarbonisation of our economy and had 40 attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/accelerating-transition-to-circular-economy-overcoming-the-... |
| Description | Adam Smith Sustainability Conference & 2nd Annual Conference of the British Accounting Review |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem co-organised the conference which led to a Special Issue (SI) for the British Accounting Review. The issue welcomed novel research on a wide range of topics related to the influences of sustainable finance and carbon markets on green innovation, circular economy, and integration of moral and market perspectives in dealing with climate and environmental issues. Centre co-I Prof Bing Xu was part of the management board for this special issue. The conference had 140 registrants from diverse backgrounds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/adam-smith-esg-conference/ |
| Description | Attended policy workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Attended two workshops on how to promote the circular economy through policy influencing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Biohybrid Sandpit Workshop Sponsored by the UK Solar Chemicals Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | On 4th July, 2024 Centre researcher Dr Mohammad Danish Khan attended the Biohybrid Sandpit Workshop Sponsored by the UK Solar Chemicals Network at the University of East Anglia. There were approximately 40-50 attendees with the audience mainly being PhD Students, Postdocs and academic staff. The workshop was an opportunity for Scientific Exchange and a collaboration based workshop where Mohammad was able to share his research within CircularChem. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.solarchemicals.co.uk/copy-of-biohybrid-sandpit-workshop |
| Description | CPACT Webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presented research on renewable power, fuel and feedstocks to CPACT, which is a consortium of businesses via webinar |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Cell Symposia: A circular economy for the chemical sector |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On the 22nd-24th July, CircularChem and Cell Press co-hosted the Cell Symposia: A circular economy for the chemical sector. With over 100 registrants, the conference attracted a diverse range of international speakers and audience members. The conference topics covered: New chemical approaches for circularity, Sustainable and circular design for functional chemicals and materials, Waste re-integration and conversion into high-value products with zero hazards, Process integration and system optimization and Sustainable governance for a circular chemical economy. Our Centre members had the opportunity to present their research, network and develop future collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://cell-symposia.com/circular-chemistry-2024/conference-program.html |
| Description | Circular Chemical Economy Summer School 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem hosted a Summer School 5th-7th September 2023 at Newcastle University. 79 attendees were present with a variety of speakers from academia, industry and policy backgrounds. As part of the summer school, we ran a workshop for Early Career Researchers to provide training and advice on grant proposal and CV writing, |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/ukri-interdisciplinary-centre-for-circular-chemical-economy... |
| Description | CircularChem LinkedIn |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | With over 1,065 followers the Centre's LinkedIn page is used to engage with a variety of audiences and update them on the most significant research updates, events, funding opportunities and news regarding our Centre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | CircularChem Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem has over 485 newsletter subscribers. The newsletter is used to share the Centre's latest research updates, awards, events and funding/engagement opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/news/circularchem-newsletters/ |
| Description | CircularChem Showcase |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem hosted its annual research showcase at Loughborough University between 27 - 29th March 2023. The event was designed to enable closer collaboration between chemicals research and innovation, industry and government bodies. There were speakers from academia who shared the latest insights in building circular economies to increase the UK's chemicals and materials supply security and to ultimately become a green manufacturer and exporter. There were also speakers from businesses who have been implementing circular economy principles and industry members who are driving fundamental change for the UK to achieve its Net Zero goals. On day 3 of the Showcase we had policy makers provide an insight into the evolving policy landscape facing the chemical industry. There were 96 people in attendance across the three day event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/circularchem-showcase/ |
| Description | CircularChem Twitter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | With over 460 followers the Centre's Twitter page is used to engage with a variety of audiences and update them on the most significant research updates, events, funding opportunities and news regarding our Centre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://x.com/CircularChem |
| Description | CircularChem Webinar - Chemical Recycling in a Circular Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In this CircularChem webinar hosted on 12th June 2025, Centre researcher Dr Donald Inns from Liverpool University and guest speaker Emmeline Aves from ReVentas shared their commitment to the recycling of chemicals to achieve a circular economy. Donald's presenation explored different methods of chemical plastic recycling and his exploratory work as part of the CircularChem research programme. Particular attention was given to the importance of new catalytic materials in achieving effective chemical recycling of plastics and how catalytic materials discovery will be key to achieving a circular economy and net zero. ReVentas have developed a solution to purify recycled Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP), removing all pigments, contamination and odours, returning the material to a virgin-like polymer suitable for use in new packaging applications. Emmeline's presentation shared details of the path they have taken and how their solution will offer a route to make packaging truly circular. There were 41 attendees and the webinar recording was disseminated wider via our Centre's YouTube channel and social media platforms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/chemical-recycling-in-a-circular-economy/ |
| Description | CircularChem Webinar - Sustainable Biomass in the Circular Chemical Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 7th November 2024, CircularChem hosted a webinar to learn from Industry representatives Dr Sarah Davidson (Technology Development Lead, Croda), Dr Anna Zhenova (Founder & CEO, Green Rose Chemistry) and CircularChem researcher Dr Swathi Mukundan (Loughborough University) on how they approach sustainable biomass in the circular economy in their respective roles. We had 36 attendees and the webinar recording was disseminated via our Centre's YouTube channel and social media platforms for those who were unable to attend live. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | CircularChem Webinar - Techno-Economic Analysis and Lifecycle Assessment for Emerging Technology in a Circular Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In this CircularChem webinar held on 8th May 2025, guest speaker Professor Thomas A. Adams II presented his latest research on eco-technoeconomic analyses followed by a Q&A session led by our Centre's theme 2 lead Prof Benoit Chachuat. Prof Chachuat also shared the updates and latest Techno-Economic Analysis and Lifecycle Assessment research from the Centre. There were 38 webinar attendees, the webinar recording was also disseminated wider via our YouTube channel and social media channels for those who could not attend live. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/approaches-to-technoeconomic-analysis-and-lifecycle-assessm... |
| Description | CircularChem Webinar Carbon & Cash: Funding a Circular Chemical Economy - White Paper Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 24th October 2024 CircularChem hosted a webinar and panel discussion to share how Centre researcher Dr Tom Franklin and guest speakers Prof Peter Styring (University of Sheffield), Dr Thomas Baker (WRAP) and Rachel Tshondo (Barclays) are helping to influence policy to achieve a circular economy with the launch of a recent policy White Paper. We had 43 attendees and the webinar recording was disseminated via our Centre's YouTube channel and social media platforms for those who were unable to attend live. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/carbon-cash-funding-a-circular-chemical-economy-white-paper... |
| Description | CircularChem Webinar: Replacing Fossil Feedstocks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On the 7th December 12.00-13.00 CircularChem hosted a lunchtime webinar discussing the work being undertaken to replace fossil feedstocks for chemical production. Our speakers Prof Jeremy Shears (Shell), Dr Darren Budd (BASF), and Dr Bhavin Siritanaratkul (CircularChem) gave their insights on progress made towards a more sustainable resource flow of chemicals and the impact it can have on our journey to Net Zero. This webinar explored the role renewable chemical feedstocks has on delivering against the UK's science and technology net zero ambitions. The speakers also discussed the challenges we face transitioning to renewable feedstocks and how enabling technologies can assist the transition. 43 people attended the webinar and engaged with the discussions from diverse backgrounds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/webinar-replacing-fossil-feedstocks/ |
| Description | CircularChem Website & YouTube Channel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Centre's website and YouTube channel is used to engage with a variety of audiences and update them on the most significant research updates, events, funding opportunities and news regarding our Centre. The Centre includes a researcher spotlight and 'Circular Economy and me' Blog series. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/ |
| Description | Crafting the IDEALL Roadmap: An Inclusive, Diverse and Equal Circular Carbon Economy for ALL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In June and July, Centre members fed into online sessions that explored EDI challenges and opportunities in a circular carbon economy. On 15th November, Centre members also attended a workshop at University of Surrey 'Crafting the IDEALL Roadmap: An Inclusive, Diverse, and Equal Circular Carbon Economy for ALL.' The aim of the workshop was to gather experts and advocates dedicated to embedding EDI into the sustainable future, in order to collaboratively refine a preliminary circular carbon economy roadmap. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/crafting-the-ideall-roadmap-an-inclusive-diverse-and-equal-... |
| Description | Dr Katie Lamb - IDRIC Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Katie Lamb was interviewed by Kyle Herman from IDRIC. Katie was asked many questions regarding her role in the Centre and Katie's thoughts in the area of Net Zero. Kyle reported that papers were being written up with contributions from Katie and others from their interviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Dr Katie Lamb Interview with CE Hub |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Centre research associate, Dr Katie Lamb was interviewed by Ryan Nolan at CE-HUB to discuss Katie's cross-cutting work and her experiences within the Centre. Katie's interview will be used to contribute towards a CE Hub study and paper. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Electrochem 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | At Electrochem 2024 on 11-13 September 2024 at Manchester Metropolitan University, Centre Director Prof Jin Xuan was invited as Keynote speaker and Centre researcher Mohammad Danish Khan also presented his research on 'Microbial Fuel Cells and Microbial Electrosynthesis: Transforming Glycerol-rich Wastewater and CO2 into Valuable Products with Future Integration Potential'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/79233/electrochem2024 |
| Description | Financing a Circular Chemical Economy Policy Paper Workshop 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 1st February 2024, the University of Sheffield based Policy team hosted its first Financing a Circular Chemical Economy Policy Paper Workshop. The workshop was an invite only workshop with predominantly Industry and Academia invitees. This workshop focused on the positives and challenges with current policies. There were discussions on the technologies needed to create a sustainable circular economy and the financial requirements to implement changes. This workshop is part of a series of workshops which the Policy team will be running. The second workshop will be held on 22nd February 2024 with academia, industry, finance, and legal invitees. The third in person workshop will include invitees from academia, industry and policymakers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Financing a Circular Chemical Economy Policy Paper Workshop 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 22nd February 2024, the University of Sheffield based Policy team hosted its second Financing a Circular Chemical Economy Policy Paper Workshop. The workshop was an invite only workshop with academia, industry, finance, and legal invitees. This workshop focused on the financial, legal and fiscal requirements of policy development. This workshop is part of a series of workshops which the Policy team are running. The third in person workshop will include invitees from academia, industry and policymakers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Green carbon for the chemical industry of the future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The Royal Society organised a Scientific Discussion meeting which took place 11th-12th December at The Royal Society, London with multiple Centre researchers in attendance. The RSC are developing a policy report project on 'Green carbon for the chemical industry'. This working group is led by Professor Graham Hutchings FRS with contributions from Centre members Sir Richard Catlow FRS and Prof Matthew Rosseinsky. Prof Jin Xuan and Dr Jonathan Wagner also attended a workshop that included stakeholders from across academia, industry and policy to discuss alternative feedstocks for chemicals production on 15th November. These discussions will feed into the report, which is due to be published in spring 2024. Collaborating with The Royal Society has been a great experience and we look forward to the publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/green-carbon-for-the-chemical-industry-of-the-future/ |
| Description | IACC2024 - Nature-inspired CO2 capture and conversion conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 9th April, 2024 Centre researchers Dr Lei Xing from University of Surrey chaired this online conference alongside Loughborough University's Dr Jonathan Wagner and Professor Eileen Yu. CircularChem researchers helped to organise the conference with the International Association for Carbon Capture. The event included a panel discussion and was a good opportunity for our Centre researchers to share their work with a wider network and discuss future collaboration opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | IChemE Webinar: Barriers and Solutions Towards Circular Chemical Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This webinar updated the findings and outcomes from CircularChem Centre and associated research and innovation projects, with a focus on barriers and solutions towards a circular chemical economy. Centre director, Prof Jin Xuan used real life examples to illustrate technical, infrastructure, system, policy, and other non-technical barriers and potential solutions to overcome them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.icheme.org/knowledge-networks/communities/special-interest-groups/environment-and-clean-... |
| Description | IDRIC Workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The UKRI programme IDRIC has a series of workshops focusing on green finance. Centre member, Prof Bing Xu has attended these workshops to make connections with industries and policymakers. There was an IDRIC workshop about Circular Economy on the 28th of April with Centre representatives Prof Umit Bititci, Prof Bing Xu, Dr Matthew Royle and Dr Melissa Marques presenting. Prof Bing reported that they made connections with new companies, for instance Deep Tech, which Prof Bing Xu has plans for a further interview with to develop a case study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Interdisciplinary Plastics Marketplace Guest Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | On 6th December 2023, Dr Mohammad Mazharul Islam presented 'Designing Suitable Heterogeneous Catalysts for Polyolefin Upcycling' at the 'Interdisciplinary Plastics Marketplace' event in Cardiff. The event was attended by 40 people, the audiences were Cardiff University academics, students from across Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Law and Bio Science Departments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interdisciplinary-plastics-marketplace-tickets-763342115817?aff=oddtd... |
| Description | Mazharul M Islam conferences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development" held on 11-12 Feb 2022 at the Stamford University Campus, Dhaka, Bangladesh - Green Energy Development in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Lessons from the Developed World - STEM Education for Raising Awareness in Green Energy Generation and Remediation of Environmental Pollution Gladstone Primary School, Cathays, Cardiff; Students and teachers have learnt about Chemistry and Chemicals, about waste managements. Science Festival to be held in Newton, Wales in September 2022. International Conference Organization; Website: "https://ben-global.net/conference-announcement-2022-2/" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Met4Tech Researcher Conversations - Roadmaps & Whole System Transitions (Webinar 11th March) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem and Met4Tech are collaborating on 11th March for their new online insights series, where researchers from various fields within the NICER Programme, its Circular Economy Centres and the CE-Hub come together to discuss circular economy roadmaps and whole system transitions for the UK. The webinar is a great opportunity to deepen understanding of the latest circular economy research and to engage in meaningful conversations with Met4Tech's wider network. CircularChem's Dr Matthew Royle will present his research 'Roadmap for a circular economy of chemicals: progress so far'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/met4tech-researcher-conversations-roadmaps-whole-system-tra... |
| Description | NICER CE Showcase 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The NICER CE Showcase was held at the University of Birmingham on May 23rd-25th. There were 40 attendees for the CircularChem session, where Centre researchers Dr Jonathan Wagner, Andrea Bernardi, Dr Katie Lamb and Dr Swathi Mukundan presented their work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/nicer-ce-showcase-2023/ |
| Description | National Postdoc Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | C-DICE and Loughborough University hosted the National Postdoc Conference on 19th September 2023.The conference was held at Loughborough University and included talks, workshops, networking and a celebration of postdocs. CircularChem Postdoc Preetam Sharma presented at the Conference. The title of his talk was "Earth Abundant Cu-Sn Catalysts for Selective Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to CO". The presentation included the electrochemical routes to decarbonization and its scale-up potential as well as how electrochemical technologies can help in decarbonization. Preetam also highlighted why the technology development is so challenging and sometimes is the bottleneck in implementing new processes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/national-postdoc-conference-2023/ |
| Description | P&G Eurospark Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Talk at hybrid event for staff at P&G, presented circular economy of chemicals |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in Green carbon for the chemical industry of the future workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The meeting brought together policymakers, academics and industry representatives from across the UK and internationally to discuss and shape the draft version of the Royal Society's Green carbon for the chemical industry report. The event will be chaired by Professor Graham Hutchings FRS and will feature keynote speeches from both UK and international perspectives, followed by breakout discussions in which participants will provide feedback on the various sections of the report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation on workshop on Sustainable Biofuel Production |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was hosted by the School of Engineering of Lancaster University and aimed at presenting the results of sustainable production of biofuel project that has involved experimental and process simulation work. As a key stakeholder in Biofuels research, I was invited to present my recent contributions to attend the workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Plastics for Future Generations Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 14th June, 2023 Dr Mohammad Mazharul Islam presented 'Designing Suitable Heterogenous Catalysts for Polyolefin Upcycling in the Pursuit of Circular Plastic Economy' at The Plastics for Future Generations Conference. The conference was a great networking opportunity with a diverse attendance for cross-sector collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/plastics-for-future-generations-conference/ |
| Description | Presentation at ChemUK 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 11th May 2022, Dr Jonathan Wagner our Centre's Academic Programme Lead led a session at ChemUK 2022 "Circular economy - balancing conventional chemistry and the switch to bioresources". The event was part of a Knowledge Transfer Network (Innovate UK KTN) led session. The session was very well attended and received good questions from the audiences. It was hosted by Amy Peace and also featured Sarah Davidson from Croda and Dr Caterhine Julia Mort from KTN. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Promotion of international collaboration with UNICAMP. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The meeting was centered around discussions and brainstorming sessions to explore potential pathways for collaborative research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Public Consumer Research - Laundry Detergent Focus Groups |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem researchers along with support from WRAP organised six focus groups across the UK involving over 55 members of the public to better understand consumer behaviour of purchasing washing laundry detergents. This research allowed us to understand some of the barriers and purchasing patterns to advise industries how they can create and sell more circular products. A report was published commencing these engagement activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Q&A with Prof. Jin Xuan: Catalyzing a circular chemical economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Jin Xuan, a chair in sustainable process at the University of Surrey, and also the PI and director of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy, spoke with One Earth in May, 2024 about a paradigm shift in the chemical sector towards a sustainable and circular future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(24)00197-0 |
| Description | Rethinking Polymers: Sustainable and Circular by Design |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 18th November 2024, this Design for Circularity event was joint hosted by the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Chemical Economy, Innovate-UK and RSC. The event had 85 registrants and was held at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House. It was aimed at stakeholders from Industry, Academia, Policy and non-profit organisations who are concerned with end of life fate of polymers. It builds on recent activities on the themes of: Circular Economy of Chemicals; UK chemicals and Net Zero; Defossilisation of Chemicals; Chemical Resource Efficiency; Sustainable Polymers in Liquid Formulations; Materials and Manufacturing Vision 2050. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/news/rethinking-polymers-sustainable-and-circular-by-design/ |
| Description | Schlumberger Seminars |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Prof Bing Xu designed and delivered seminars to 50 members of the purchasing team from the company Schlumberger on 14 March and 7 June 2023. Bing also conducted a follow-up survey to collect data, Bing has plans for this to lead to further interviews and a case study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Strategic links with IonaMinerals company |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | We established strategic links with IonaMinerals, a Welsh company that uses zeolites for chemical recovery from waste streams. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | SuperSolar webinar: Photovoltaics in the Circular Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | After responding to the "Technological innovations and climate change: onshore solar energy" inquiry by the Environmental Audit Committee of the UK Parliament, a collaborative effort from CircularChem team, members at the University of Sheffield and Newcastle University were invited to present at the Supergen SuperSolar event titled 'Photovoltaics in the Circular Economy' on 17th June 2023. The webinar focused on current and future Photovoltaics (PV) recycling strategies (from established silicon panels to next generation PVs) with insights from academia and industry. The panel discussed the feasibility for current recycling methods of established technologies in a circular economy context, and what role legislation can play to encourage using end-of-life PV technology in a more circular manner. Whilst recycling the major components in traditional PV panels is relatively straight forward, the recovery and safe treatment of the rare critical minerals in these panels is difficult to achieve. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.supersolar-hub.org/2023/06/12/photovoltaics-in-the-circular-economy-recording-now-availa... |
| Description | The Greener Manufacturing Show Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 11th November, our Centre's Academic Programme Lead Dr Jonathan Wagner, was invited to host a panel discussion at the Greener Manufacturing Show in Cologne, Germany, exploring how to select optimal pathways for recovering value from chemical wastes. The panel included Carlos Monreal, the CEO and Founder of Plastic Energy, one of the world's leading chemical recycling companies, Babette Pettersen, VP Europe for LanzaTech, the global market leader for gas fermentation technologies and Dr Pieter Imhof, Senior Business Developer of Circular Economy & Environment at TNO, an independent Dutch research and technology development organisation. There was consensus that there is no single solution to address the complex problem of waste treatment and chemical value recovery. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/news/the-greener-manufacturing-show-conference/ |
| Description | The UK Plastics Pact CircularChem Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CircularChem collaborated with WRAP & The UK Plastics Pact to run a workshop on 23rd November 2023. During the workshop Centre Co-I, Prof Bing Xu and Heriot-Watt University colleagues provided an overview of their ongoing efforts in developing a system dynamics simulator to support decision-making processes related to circular chemical economy practices. Approximately 50 people attended the workshop. Outcomes included: Enhanced understanding of the components comprising the circular chemical economy system, their interactions and main feedback loops. Investigations into the environmental, economic, and social factors, including the identification of tipping points crucial to the successful adoption, implementation, and diffusion of CircularChem policies. Collected insights and feedback concerning the main input, intermediary and output system variables, and their effects on the overall system behaviour. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/the-uk-plastics-pact-circularchem-workshop/ |
| Description | University of Dhaka, Bangladesh Book Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Centre research associate Mazharul Islam attended a book launch event at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Around 100 students and academics from various educational institutions of Bangladesh including Dhaka University, Green University, Dhaka School of Economics and University of Skill Enrichment and Technology were present. Discussions took place about Circular Chemical Economy and Mazharul Islam introduced the activities of CircularChem & the NICER programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Viable Business Modelling and Market Pathways for Algae based CCU |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 21st November 2023, CircularChem researchers collaborated with IDRIC to present at this Algae Carbon Capture and Utilisation: Viable Business Modelling and Routes to Market webinar. Prof Bing Xu, Dr Jonathan Wagner and Rossen Kazakov provided an overview on their current work in developing new algae-based technologies and invited their audience to participate in building scenarios to simulate their potential role for UK carbon capture and utilisation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/viable-business-modelling-and-market-pathways-for-algae-based-ccu-ticke... |
| Description | Work presented at Microbiology International Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation in section on applied environmental microbiology |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2024.html?_gl=1*n6dxgc*_up... |
| Description | Workshop: Roadmap for a Circular Economy of Chemicals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Over the last six months, our CircularChem Centre has engaged with stakeholders across the value chain to gather different perspectives on what a Circular Economy of Chemicals might look like by 2050, what opportunities there are to move away from fossil feedstocks, where conflicts/symbiosis with other sectors might arise, and what interventions could be put in place to accelerate the transition. This research has informed the Centre's paper: "A Circular Economy of Chemicals Roadmap." To finalise this important piece of work, CircularChem hosted the Roadmap for a Circular Economy of Chemicals workshop at Newcastle University on the 24th January. There were 32 attendees with diverse backgrounds. The workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the information collected so far, and to identify and address any gaps, so that the Centre can publish the outcomes from the work in a useful format for the community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/events/workshop-roadmap-for-a-circular-economy-of-chemicals/ |
| Description | World Symposium of Climate Change and Sustainable Development Centres |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Matthew Royle presented at the World Symposium of Climate Change and Sustainable Development Centres in Hamburg, 29th-30th June 2023. The symposium aimed to provide the opportunity for climate change and sustainable development centres from across the world to present their work and how they can align with the UN sustainability development goals. The approach taken by many managers and educators at this conference was systematic in nature, with an emphasis on the experiences and lessons learnt from working with experts from various backgrounds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circular-chemical.org/news/world-symposium-of-climate-change-and-sustainable-development... |