Annual Report 2025 - Report - Page 37
Committed discussion on sustainability also from the audience
Seasoned panel moderated by Deirdre Black, The Royal Society
of Chemistry
Jean-Marie Lehn in the auditorium of Next Gen Science
“Sustainability by and in Chemistry“
Ben Feringa: “Everything is possible.”
calculate how much you are saving. This helps to gather
support from the administration.”
Ben L. Feringa, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2016,
conveyed his sincere appreciation of the zeal with which
younger researchers are leading the way to more sustainable chemistry. This was best shown by the Next Gen
Science Session themed on sustainability (see p. 48). From
Kwangwook Ko’s novel approach to deconstruct and
recycle commodity plastics to Sayad Doobary-Vobora’s
persuasive case for mechanochemistry as a solution to
the solvent sustainability problem, the session saw a fascinating diversity of research by Young Scientists.
Bofan Li from the Agency for Science, Technology and
Research (A*STAR), Singapore, shared how her lab developed a high-performance recyclable membrane that
could potentially transform the booming, still unsustainable membrane industry. Taking baby steps toward a
recyclable plastic world are researchers such as Ziyu Cen
from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, who
highlighted the potential of layered zeolite materials in
enabling the upcycling of plastic waste.
Further speakers included Damon de Clercq from
UNSW Sydney, who is seeking to find a more efficient
material for solar cells that go into solar panels and Carla
Stork from Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, who proposed a method that can make isotopic
labelling more sustainable by avoiding the use of transition and rare metals, as well as toxic or expensive reagents.
The final two presentations were by Aswin Gopakumar
from Institut Català d’Investigació Química (ICIQ), who
offered a glimpse into his soon-to-be patented process of
using flash-combusted electrodes for sustainable photo
and electrocatalysis, and Sidonie Lavieville from the University of Montpellier, who uses a new class of resistant
and recyclable materials called covalent adaptable networks, that can potentially result in sustainable construction, and reduce waste.
The conclusion for all these committed approaches
for improvement came from Ben Feringa, being optimistic that science can solve our big environmental problems. “We looked at a flying pigeon and built a Boeing 747;
we built solar panels that are 10 times more efficient than
green plants; I am convinced that in 30 or 40 years we can
take carbon dioxide from the air and do CO2 conversion or
artificial photosynthesis.” After all, he added, “Evolution
did not power airplanes.”
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