|| environment

Agenda 2030: A Challenge for

Chemical Science and Industry

R. Aga Van Zeebroeck

Dr.Sc. (KU Leuven). SECOT (Seniors para la Cooperación Técnica)

Chemistry is a key contributor to the SDG. INTRODUCTION

“Sustainable Chemistry” provides solutions trough On 25 September 2015 the General Assembly of
energy efficient processes (catalysis), sustainable the United Nations adopted the Agenda 2030 for
chemicals, improved fossil fuels and biofuels, renewable Sustainable Development [1]. In the preamble the
energy storage, circular chemistry (plastics and wastes authors say: “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals
recycling or transformation), CO2 capture and reuse, (SDG) and 169 targets which we are announcing
etc. In many cases collaboration between universities today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new
and industry is important universal Agenda… They are integrated and indivisible
and balance the three dimensions of sustainable
Keywords: University, Energy efficiency, Circular chemistry, development: the economic, social and environmental.”
Plastics, CO2, Biofuels The SDG came officially into force on 1 January 2016.
On the other hand on 12 December 2015 in Paris, the
La química es un contribuyente clave para el ODS. 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP
“Química Sostenible” proporciona soluciones 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on
mediante procesos energéticamente eficientes Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended with the commitment
(catálisis), productos químicos sostenibles, of the parties to make their best efforts to avoid that
combustibles fósiles mejorados y biocombustibles, the global temperature would increase 2 °C or more
almacenamiento de energía renovable, química circular above the pre-industrial era by reducing their emissions
(reciclado y transformación de plásticos y residuos), to the atmosphere. As of 20 April 2017, 143 parties had
captura y reutilización de CO2, etc. En muchos casos, ratified the Paris Agreement. In opinion of Antón Valero,
la colaboración entre las universidades y la industria es Chairman of the Federation of the Spanish Chemical
importante Industry (FEIQUE),“the most important parts of the
contributions that allow to advance to an increasingly
sustainable world are coming and will come in the
Palabras clave: Universidad, Eficiencia energética, Química future from a chemistry that contributes to advance
circular, Plásticos, CO2, Biocombustibles through the complex challenge fixed by the Sustainable
Development Goals”. All Assessment Reports of the

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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change in which science and new UNIVERSITIES AND
Change (IPCC) call for knowledge technologies open new doors for INDUSTRY – PARTNERS FOR
sharing and science-based solutions. sustainable development, providing SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY
“There are not such thinks as applied solutions that will be crucial for the Paul Anastas, Professor at the Centre
sciences. There are only applications of vision of the future and among them, for Green Chemistry and Engineering
science”. This phrase of Louis Pateur in particular chemistry, a science at the at the Yale University is considered
suggests close collaboration between border between several areas, with as the “Father of Green Chemistry”.
scientific research and industry. Sixty the capacity to respond to the greatest He received the Green Chemistry
years ago, J.C. Jungers, Professor of challenges of our time”. And on 15 Award 2016 granted by the Royal
Physical Chemistry at the University of November 2017, at the celebration of Society of Chemistry for the design,
Louvain, underlined this relationship the Spanish National Day of Chemistry development or implementation of
in his introduction to the handbook by Anque (the Association of Spanish novel chemical products or processes
“Cinétique Chimique Appliquée” Chemists) in the city of Santiago de which have the potential to reduce or
(Applied Chemical Kinetics - 1958) Compostela, Professor Juan Viaño eliminate the use and generation of
[2]: “It is significant that those Rey, Rector of the local University hazardous substances. Paul Anastas
countries where the exchange of skills remarked: “We are living in an era of and John Warner, cofounder of the
between these two environments fascinating and disturbing challenges Warner-Babcock Institute for Green
(university and industry) is the most for science in general and in particular Chemistry and former professor at the
active and the most frequent are for chemistry: a complex challenge University of Massachusetts where he
currently at the forefront of industrial to reconcile the quality of life, of a started the world’s first Ph.D. program
progress”. Sustainable chemistry growing population and an increasing of Green Chemistry, established 12
means new processes, feedstocks and global demand of energy, with principles of Green Chemistry already
products; process efficiency (catalysis, environmental sustainability and the 20 years ago, in 1998 [4] and available
digitalization, equipment, etc.); reduction of atmospheric emissions.” as a pocket guide from the American
fossil fuel quality improvement and The Organization for Economic Co- Chemical Society (Figure 1).
biofuels; CO2 capture and use; circular operation and Development (OECD), A striking example, among the
chemistry (plastics and other wastes defines Sustainable Chemistry as many, of innovative research with
recycling or reuse), etc. A circular “a scientific concept that seeks close collaboration between university
economy requires inter national to improve the efficiency with and industry is the development of an
political action. The Directorate- which natural resources are used azobenzene based polymer system
General for the Environment of the to meet human needs for chemical
European Commission (EC) organizes products and services”. Sustainable
so called Circular Economy Missions, Chemistry is often also called ‘Green
FIGURE 1. Principles of Green
t o c o m m u n i c a t e a n d p ro m o t e Chemistry’, putting emphasis on Chemistry - Front page of the Green
sustainable and resource-efficient the contribution of chemistry to Chemistry Pocket Guide. (Source: ACS
policies and to build bridges between environmental protection. In an Green Chemistry website)
European institutions, governments, article [3] of October 2016 on the
NGOs and companies. These missions The World Economic Forum (WEF)
will focus on topics such as chemicals website, Mark Esposito, Professor
and plastic, waste, etc. According to of Economic Strategies at the
the EC they have a great potential University of Harvard, says that
for innovative business solutions that “green chemistry, or sustainable
can help to reduce environmental chemistry, involves creation on the
impacts. molecular level: devising chemical
reactions that give rise to new
DISCUSSION products and processes that have
SCIENCE, THE PILLAR OF the ability to meet sustainability
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY goals, such as becoming more
At the 10th World Congress of energy-efficient, and reducing the
Chemical Engineering, held in amount of waste or harmful matter
October 2017 in Barcelona, the found in the environment.. .Some
General Manager of Feique, Antonio major themes in green chemistry
Labat, said: “We live in a period today include reducing our reliance
of innovation and technological on nonrenewable energy sources…”

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Agenda 2030: A Challenge for Chemical Science and Industry

FIGURE 2. Chemical structures of AzoPMA polymers for solar thermal energy and chemical reactions to create
storage. (Courtesy of University of Massachusetts Amherst) plastic from carbon dioxide and plant
material.
First on the Thomson Reuters 2017
ranking of Europe’s Most Innovative
Universities [6] and 5th of the world
ranking is the University of Louvain,
KU Leuven “for its comprehensive
and advanced scientific research, a
big number of patents and influential
inventions”. The university, who’s
Faculty of Science celebrated its 200
anniversary last year, has filed 292
Patents between 2010 and 2015, and
36,7 % of them are on chemicals,
FIGURE 3. Research areas of Stanford’s GCEP’s project (Courtesy Stanford pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
University) Research spending exceeds €454
million. Leuven SUstainable Earth
(LSUE) is the expertise center of
the university on the topic of
sustainability. Its mission is to bring
together scientists from different
disciplines with a common interest
in sustainable development. Topics
related to low carbon manufacturing,
energy efficiency and emission control
for production systems are considered
of particular importance. KU Leuven
together with the other Flemish
universities, of Ghent (19th), Brussels
(VUB) (48th), and U. Antwerp, is
member of Catalisti, a new cluster
founded in December 2016 under
the umbrella of Suschem Belgium,
a partner of SusChem Europe, in
[5] capable to store solar thermal a Global Climate and Energy Project order to stimulate innovations of
energy (Figure 2) achieved by a (GCEP) (Figure 3), with the support chemistry and plastics. The cluster
group of materials chemists at the of ExxonMobil, GE, Schlumberger, builds partnerships between individual
University of Massachusetts Amherst and Toyota. More recently DuPont companies, research institutions,
with the collaboration of scientists at and Bank of America joined the sector associations and governments.
Schrödinger, Inc., a scientific software GCEP partnership. Managed by Almost 100 companies participate
and solutions company based in Stanford University, GCEP conducts in the project, as well as some
New York who played a key role to fundamental, pre-commercial independent research centers and
understand the origins of the observed research. Stanford itself does a institutes.
high energy storage densities by using significant portion of this research Eleven Spanish universities are in
computational chemistry. Thanks to and is also collaborating with 47 the Reuters list of the first 100 of
their work storage density improved institutions in the US and around the Europe. The first one is the University
and is approaching the energy storage world. 2017 Funding was $209M of Barcelona (63rd). The other,
capacity of lithium batteries. and more than 200 researchers between the 80st and the 100rd,
Stanford University, in the heart are involved. Examples of specific are in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia,
of Silicon Valley, California, with 19 chemical research areas at Stanford Santiago de Compostela, Seville
living Nobel Laureates and first on are: Bio catalysts (metalloenzymes); and Granada. Félix García-Ochoa,
Reuter’s list of innovative universities, sustainable polymers; synthetic fuels; Professor of Chemical Engineering
launched already in December 2002 bioactive molecules; and new catalysts at the Universidad Complutense

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of Madrid (97 th on the Reuters recently, Circle Economy, a social new monomers which can again be
ranking) received the 2017 Prize of enterprise organized as a cooperative transformed into new plastics.
ANQUE for his extensive research on with headquarters in Amsterdam, The Circulars, an initiative of the
catalysis, chemical and biochemical published its Circularity Gap Report World Economic Forum (WEF) and
k i n e t i c s a n d re a c t o r s d e s i g n , 2018. According to the report, our the Forum of Young Global Leaders,
and environmental engineering. world economy is only 9.1 % circular, in collaboration with Accenture
The University of Valladolid, is leaving a massive ‘Circularity Gap’. Strategy, is the world’s premier
participating together with 14 Only 14% of all plastic packaging is circular economy award program.
research institutes and companies recycled and vast quantities escape At the last WEF Annual Meeting in
from several European countries in into the environment. [8] Davos, Switzerland, on 22th January
a project of the Cordis program of In response to the problem of 2018, the Dell Circular Economy
the EU, titled “Demonstration of an waste plastics, Vice-Presidents of People’s Choice Award was granted
integrated innovative biorefinery for the European Commission, Katainen to Banyan Nation, India’s first vertically
the transformation of Municipal Solid and Timmermans, presented on integrated recycling company. To
Waste (MSW) into new BioBased 16 January 2018 PlasticsEurope’s date, Banyan Nation has recycled
products (URBIOFIN)”, scheduled from “European Strategy for Plastics in more than seven million pounds of
June 1, 2017 till May 5, 2021. At the a Circular Economy” as part of the plastics. Its proprietary plastic cleaning
Spanish National Day of Chemistry transition towards a more circular technology – Better Plastic – converts
o n 1 5 th N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 , t h e and resource efficient economy. collected post consumer and post
participants insisted on the necessity Plastics Europe is one of the leading industrial plastic waste into high
of a union of the academic, research European trade associations with quality recycled granules comparable
and industrial environments, and a more than 100 member companies, in quality and performance to virgin
political compromise with Science, producing over 90 % of all polymers plastic. The technology removes inks,
R&D&Innovation, and Industry in across the EU28 member states plus coatings, and other contaminants
order to close the investment gap Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. using environment friendly detergents
between Spain and other countries of The strategy aims to transform the and solvents to supply near virgin
the European Union. way plastic products are designed, quality recycled granules to brands.
used, produced and recycled in the
CIRCULAR CHEMISTRY - EU. According to the strategy, better EFFICIENT CHEMICAL
STEPS TO SOLVE THE GLOBAL design of plastic products, higher PROCESSES AND CATALYSIS
PROBLEM WITH PLASTICS plastic waste recycling rates, more The efficiency of the chemical
On January 2016, as a result of a three- and better quality recyclates will help process is not only an environmental
year effort led by the Ellen MacArthur boosting the market for recycled requirement. It is also a must for
Foundation, in partnership with the plastics. It will deliver greater added economic viability. Catalysis is the
World Economic Forum (WEF) and value for a more competitive, resilient preferred reaction system. The report
supported by McKinsey & Company, plastics industry. In the Foreword the of the International Energy Agency
the WEF published a report: The New authors say: “It is widely recognized titled “Technology Roadmap: Energy
Plastics Economy - Rethinking the that plastics have a crucial role to and GHG Reductions in the Chemical
Future of Plastics [7]. According to the play in delivering a more sustainable Industry via Catalytic Processes” (Ed.
report, plastics production has surged future… As a result of their versatility 2013) [9], states that“ The chemical
over the past decades from 15 million and capacity for innovation, plastic and petrochemical sector is by far
tons in 1964 to 311 million tons in materials are invariably best placed the largest industrial energy user,
2014, and is expected to double again to support breakthrough sustainable accounting for roughly 10 % of total
over the following 20 years. Packaging technologies.” worldwide final energy demand and
represents 26 % of the total volume The two main ways to recycle waste 7 % of global GHG emissions…
of plastics used. Of plastic packaging plastics are the reuse in new forms Around 90 % of chemical processes
material 95 % or 80– 120 billion by mechanical transformation and involve the use of catalysts – such
dollars is lost annually to the economy chemical reclaiming or decomposition. as added substances that increase
after a short first use. Plastics that do Decomposition is more complex, the rate of reaction without being
get recycled are mostly transformed requires more research and is more consumed by it – and related processes
into lower-value applications that costly but results in higher added to enhance production efficiency
are not again recyclable after use. value products. It is mainly done in and reduce energy use, thereby
Over 90% of plastics produced are two different ways: restoring the curtailing GHG emission levels.” The
derived from fossil feedstocks. More original monomer, or producing manufacture of 18 products (among

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Agenda 2030: A Challenge for Chemical Science and Industry

thousands) by the chemical industry with handling liquid acids. Other unviable and be forced to close by
accounts for 80 % of energy demand advantages are: significant lower 2035 as a swelling tide of climate
in the chemical industry and 75 % of investment costs, elimination of regulations and rapid advances in
GHG emissions. The report shows an product treatment and disposal of clean technologies cut oil demand”.
energy savings potential approaching hazardous acids or chlorides, mild In order to stay competitive, Petronor,
13 exajoules (EJ) by 2050 – equivalent operating conditions and materials a company of Repsol and owner of
to the current annual primary energy cost savings thanks to the use of the biggest oil refinery of Spain near
use of Germany. Other key findings of non corrosive acids in the process, Bilbao, replaced in 2017 the different
the study are: etc. The technology received the 44th control rooms of the refinery by
Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering only one equipped with distributed
• Catalyst and related process Achievement Award on 1 November control of the latest digital technology
improvements could reduce energy 2017 at the Chem Show at the Jacob (Figure 4). The total investment
intensity for these products by 20 % Javits Center in New York City. amounts 8.5 million euro. Complete
to 40% as a whole by 2050 combining process digitalization is included in
all scenarios. INCREASING PROCESS Peytronor’s strategic plan 2020. Now
•In the short to medium EFFICIENCY BY DIGITALIZATION the technicians of Petronor are using
term (to 2025), steady progress The IEA says in its report about cloud computing for the construction
in implementing incremental Digitalization and Energy [10]: “With of models of the different processing
improvements and deploying Best the expected continuing expansion of plants, managing millions of data in
Practice Technologies (BPT) could industrial production over the coming real time by means of algorithms, in
provide substantial energy savings decades, particularly in emerging order to optimize the processes and
and emissions reductions compared economies, the value of digitalization prevent possible failures or damage
to business as usual. in improving the efficiency of energy which may shut down production.
•Achieving deeper energy and material use will only increase… The project starts with the automation
and emissions cuts will require Further cost-effective energy savings of the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC).
development and deployment of can be achieved through advanced It is planed that within 3 to 4 years
emerging technologies that exceed process controls, and by coupling a digital copy of all the units and
the capacity of current BPTs. smart sensors and data analytics processes of the refinery will be in
• A step change in the sector’s to predict equipment failure.” This the cloud. At Petronor they call it
energy consumption and GHG is of particular importance for oil the “digital twin” of the physical
emissions would require the refineries, because according to a refinery. In such applications taking
development of “game changer” report launched by Carbon Tracker care of cyber security is a must. On
technologies, such as sustainable on 2 November 2017, “a quarter of 13 December 2017 Repsol signed
biomass feedstocks and hydrogen global refining capacity could become an alliance with Microsoft in order to
from renewable energy sources.
• Therefore, long-term investment
an d suppor t f o r re s e a rc h a n d
FIGURE 4. Modern digital control at Petronor oil refinery (Courtesy of Petronor)
development (R&D) to enable
innovation is warranted to continue
advances in new technologies.

An example of the combination

of several of the principles of Green
Chemistry is the AlkyClean technology
developed by CB&I, Albemarle
Catalysts and Neste Oil. This new
technology employs a zeolite catalyst
formulation coupled with a novel
reactor processing scheme to yield
a high quality motor fuel alkylate
product and substitutes the use of
liquid acids as catalyst by solid acid
catalyst eliminating the hazards
and operating issues associated

42 Industria Química Special Achema 2018

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progress with digitalization and cloud gaseous biomass fuels used for
computing of its processes. heat and power. The reason was »» Petronor’s refinery was
FROM IMPROVED FOSSIL
to ensure that the use of biofuels
and bioliquids is done in a way that
the first to produce
FUELS TO BIOFUELS guarantees real carbon savings and lead free gasoline in
Already in past decades oil protects biodiversity. Only biofuels
Spain
refineries have been improving the and bioliquids that comply with
environmental quality of distillate these criteria can receive government
fuels and introducing biofuels. For support or count towards national
example Petronor’s refinery was the renewable energy targets. The criteria
first to produce lead free gasoline are also used to authorize the import the field of biorefineries in Spain.
in Spain when in 1986 it started of biofuels from non member states. Despite being a sector that could
up Spain’s first production unit of To be considered sustainable, biofuels be considered incipient due to its
MTBE (Methyl-TerButyl-Ether) [11], must achieve greenhouse gas savings limited implementation so far, in
a high octane compound (118 RON) of at least 35 % in comparison to fossil recent years consistent public-private
obtained by synthesis of methanol fuels. This savings requirement rises to initiatives have been launched that
and terbutyl alcohol using as catalyst 50% in 2017. In 2018, it rises again have offered very favorable results.
a strong acidic cationic resin. In 2002 to 60% but only for new production The main technological challenges
Petronor transformed this MTBE unit plants. All life cycle emissions are of the biorefinery concept are
into an ETBE (Ethyl-TerButyl-Ether) unit taken into account when calculating the development of chemical and
using bioethanol as feedstock instead greenhouse gas savings. This includes enzymatic catalysts, biotechnology,
of methanol. emissions from cultivation, processing, new and efficient processes, as well
Axens, the subsidiary company and transport. Biofuels cannot come as optimization and upscaling.
of “IFP Energies Nouvelles” (the from areas converted from land with
former Institut Français du Pétrole) previously high carbon stock such as CIRCULAR CHEMISTRY: PRODUCTION
commercialized IFP’s Esterfip biodiesel wetlands or forests. Biofuels cannot be OF BIOFUELS AND ALTERNATIVE
process in the early 1990’s. IFP has produced from raw materials obtained FUELS FROM WASTES
improved this process with innovative from land with high biodiversity such Recently Celtic Renewables Ltd
heterogeneous catalysis technology, as primary forests or highly biodiverse received £9 million funding support
named the Esterfip-H. It was applied grasslands. Several projects producing from the Scottish Government to build
for the first time in a commercial biofuels from algae are going on a commercial demonstration plant in
plant in 2006. In 2007 the process globally. These limitations are the Grangemouth producing biobutanol
was honored with the Chemical reason why fossil fuels will still last obtained from whisky residue in a
Engineering Kirk Patrick Award for for years, in particular in marine and process developed at the Edinburgh
Biodiesel Technology. The process air transport probably mixed with Napier University [13]. Commissioning
was selected for the biggest biodiesel biofuels. is foreseen in 2018.
production plant of the US with a In order to stimulate research, Another process developed by Bio-
capacity of 165.000 ton per year, development and innovation and bean, a British company founded in
owned by Beatrice Biodiesel, LLC investments in bioeconomy, the 2013, recycles waste coffee grounds
(BBL), a subsidiary of US Biofuels Inc. Spanish State Secretariat of Research, collected from big coffee consumers,
It uses soy oil as feedstock to produce Development and Innovation has and transforms it into advanced
FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl-Ester). written up a Spanish Bioeconomy biofuels and biochemicals. Millions of
Several units have been constructed Strategy 2030, and launched the tons of coffee grounds are produced
or projected since then around the corresponding Observatory, of which globally every year. Bio-bean partnered
world for a cumulative production are taking part SusChem-Spain and in November 2017 with Shell and
capacity of 1.3 million tons per year BioPlat, the Spanish platform of Argent Energy, a fuel blender. The oil
of biodiesel from various vegetable oil Biomass. Both entities have jointly extracted from the coffee grounds
feedstocks. developed a Biorefineries Manual is blended with other oils used by
In November 2016, the European with the aim to bring knowledge Argent Energy to create biodiesel.
Commission proposed a revised and strategic advantages for Spain,
Renewable Energy Directive [12] because it is well positioned with the PRODUCTION OF DIESEL FUEL BY
which includes updated sustainability resources available in the country. PYROLISIS OF SCRAP TIRES
criteria for biofuels used in transport The Manual concludes with a sample All over the world millions of tons of
and bioliquids, as well as solid and of initiatives already undertaken in scrap tires are generated and need

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Agenda 2030: A Challenge for Chemical Science and Industry

FIGURE 5. Generic model of the gadget that mimics photosynthesis in tree the tremendous field that stretches
leaves (Courtesy of Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona) before us. Advancing to global
sustainability will depend on the
progress of science and cross border
collaboration between institutions,
a c a d e m i a a n d i n d u s t r y. T h e
development of sustainable chemistry
will also contribute to the creation of
many new and high quality jobs.

References:
[1] General Assembly of the UN, “Transforming
our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”, Resolution of 21 October 2015
[2] Jungers,J.C., “Cinétique Chimique
Appliquée”, Institut Français du Pétrole –
Technip, 1958.
[3] Esposito, M., Tse, T., Soufani, K., “4 Ways
Green Chemistry is helping make the world a
better place”, Global Agenda, World Economic
Forum, October 17, 2016.
[4] Anastas, P. T., Warner, J. C., “Green
Chemistry: Theory and Practice”, p.30, Oxford
University Press, New York, 1998, & ACS
“Green Chemistry” website.
[5] Pyo Jeong, S., Renna, L. A., Boyle, C.J., S.
to be transformed by sustainable to 60 % CO 2 followed by further Kwak, H., Harder, E., Damm, W., Venkataraman,
D., “High Energy Density in Azobenzene-based
processes. One solution is pyrolisis. In purification. (2) General Electric Global Materials for Photo-Thermal Batteries via
Controlled Polymer Architecture and Polymer-
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is a Doctorate thesis presented technologies based on a non-aqueous Vol. 7, Article nr: 17773, 2017.
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R., “Atmospheric CO2 capture for the artificial
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44 Industria Química Special Achema 2018