Circularity instead of Crisis – Chemistry shapes the Future
What if, instead of producing our waste linearly, we made it completely recyclable and converted it back into valuable materials? Plastic has revolutionized our lives, from pacifiers to small cars. But the price: the largest mountain of garbage in human history. The good news: Chemists are reinventing their discipline. Together with Andreas Sentker, managing editor […]
Circular Valley Convention
The Circular Valley Convention is a leading event promoting the circular economy. It explores innovative business models that extend product life cycles and conserve resources. It took place this month in Düsseldorf. Prof. Dr. Lars M. Blank (core team of catalaix) presented the vision and mission of our WSS research center for the next decade. […]
The focus of the workshop: the latest findings in chemistry and biology
But not only chemists and biologists participated; contributions from computer science, process engineering, anthropogenic material flows, and operations management also demonstrated catalaix’s interdisciplinary approach. Our goal? A holistic transformation of the plastics sector. A special highlight: Dr. Jana Weber (TU Delft) took us into the world of molecular ensembles. She explained how AI-assisted in silico […]
Catalytic recycling: The key to sustainable plastics use!
Catalytic recycling processes are revolutionizing the way we handle plastics. They offer the possibility of selectively breaking down different plastics and either finding optimal methods for simpler recycling processes or sensibly integrating new materials into production streams. The role of catalysts is crucial here! They enable the targeted and efficient conversion of plastics and other […]
ISOMET (tandem isomerization metathesis)
A new chemical process was developed. ISOMET (Tandem Isomerization Metathesis): Durable plastic waste, such as polyethylene (PE) from bottles, is converted into valuable chemical intermediates! How does it work? Step 1: Pyrolysis – The plastic is broken down into an oil with long hydrocarbon chains by slow heating. Step 2: A special catalyst breaks these […]
Lysine – crucial for your health
Did you know that lysine plays a crucial role in your health and well-being? Lysine is a component of collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, found in skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Lysine can also be used to make plastic. Polylysine is chemically similar to nylon, which is used in tights, for […]
How do resources remain in the circular system?
We discussed this intensively at our Principal Investigator (PI) workshop. Our conclusion: A holistic approach is needed!From design, production, and use to end-of-life management and recycling, every phase counts. A huge thank you to all PIs for your expertise, your input, and your commitment to sustainable innovation. Together we are transforming the plastics industry into […]
Interdisciplinary exchange
To promote interdisciplinary exchange and strengthen communication between our doctoral students from different research areas, the heads of the subgroups Chemical and Biological Transformations (Rebecca Sebers, Philipp Demling), Digitalization and Up-Scaling (Moreno Ascani), and Systems Evaluation (Nil Güreli, Julia Schleier) are joining forces to improve research efficiency and synergies. These meetings provide our researchers with […]
Less than 10% of plastics are recycled
The linear use of most plastics now represents a growing challenge, as less than 10% is recycled and a significant proportion is disposed of uncontrolled, with serious impacts on the environment. The current perspective, in which our catalaix core team member Prof. Lars M. Blank is also involved together with Dr. Ren Wei, Dr. Gert […]
YoungFluidSeps Poster Prize
Aishe Katharina Grotjohann, doctoral student at the catalaix research center within the Werner Siemens Foundation at the Chair of Fluid Process Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, was awarded the YoungFluidSeps Poster Prize at the annual meeting of the DECHEMA Crystallization Group. She received the award for her poster on a process concept for the crystallization […]