Exciting exchange at the international level
Professor Lars Blank recently had the opportunity to present catalaix to a delegation from GteX – Green Technologies of Excellence. The program is funded by JST and brings together cutting-edge research from institutions including Kobe University, Osaka University, and RIKEN. The visit and presentation demonstrate the importance of international networking for sustainable technologies and research […]
A day in the lab with Melvin Mrose
Melvin is a doctoral student in the group of Prof. Regina Palkovits and is working on the catalytic upcycling of polyethylene to dicarboxylic acids, transforming plastic waste into valuable chemical building blocks. His days are filled with experiments, data, setbacks, and breakthroughs. That’s what typical research looks like. Not just the published results, but also […]
Publication in the Journal Advanced Science by Tabea Becker
Recently, the work of our colleague Tabea Becker was published in the Journal Advanced Science. They are presenting their new zinc-hybrid catalyst, which can be used in the polymerization of lactide and caprolactone. Additionally, it can catalyze the recycling of (bio)polyesters, thus proving itself to be an all-rounder in the circular economy of plastics. You […]
Transformation from a linear waste management system to a circular economy
The goal of Prof. Kathrin Greiff’s ANTS research group is to transform our current linear waste management system into a circular economy, where materials previously considered waste are redefined as valuable resources. ANTS utilizes sensor technology and AI to analyze material flows and develops dynamic material flow models that link ecological, economic, and technical data […]
New Publication in Trends in Biotechnology:
Advances in Synthetic Methanotrophy.
A recent review article in Trends in Biotechnology presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of synthetic methanotrophy. The work was carried out by two catalaix research teams, the Synthetic Microbiology group at iAMB and the Chair of Biochemical Engineering (BioAVT) at RWTH Aachen University, in collaboration with colleagues from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin […]
PI workshop with an external presentation by Dr. Raoul Meys, co-founder of carbon minds
Da die chemische Industrie zunehmend auf klimafreundlichere Produktionsverfahren und Nachhaltigkeit umstellt, ist die Durchführung effektiver Lebenszyklusanalysen (LCAs) ein wichtiger Aspekt, der berücksichtigt werden muss. Diese Analysen erfordern oft fundiertes Fachwissen, große Datenmengen und die richtigen digitalen Tools, um aussagekräftige Erkenntnisse zu liefern. Unser letzter PI-Workshop begann mit einem externen Vortrag von Dr. Raoul Meys, Mitbegründer […]
Strategy for the development of sustainable, high-performance thermoplastic polyurethanes
A new publication, co-authored by catalaix core team member Prof. Dr. Lars M. Blank from the Institute of Applied Microbiology, presents an innovative strategy for developing sustainable, high-performance thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs). This work demonstrates how biotechnology and polymer chemistry can jointly create a genuine alternative to petroleum-based plastics and opens up new perspectives for a […]
Plastics Recycling and Upcycling GRC (Gordon Research Conferences) From waste to valuable material – the future of plastics.
The Plastics Recycling and Upcycling GRC (Gordon Research Conferences) is a leading international scientific conference dedicated to promoting cutting-edge research in plastics recycling and upcycling. The five-day event took place in July in Manchester, New Hampshire (USA) (https://www.grc.org/plastics-recycling-and-upcycling-conference/2025/), focusing on intensive discussions and networking across all career levels to foster collaboration and build lasting scientific […]
Constantin Maaß, doctoral candidate in the research group of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jørgen Magnus at the Institute of Process Engineering – Bioprocess Engineering
And now for a new round of introductions! We are pleased to introduce you to the research group of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jørgen Magnus from the Institute of Process Engineering – Bioprocess Engineering (AVT.BioVT) at RWTH Aachen University. Constantin Maaß, a doctoral candidate in the research group, provides insights into his daily work, including personal challenges […]
Lennard Schulte, Systems Engineering at AVT (SVT.AVT)
Plastic fingerprints? That’s exactly what process technology uses! Did you know that every polymer has a unique infrared spectrum, essentially its own chemical fingerprint? Lennard Schulte, a doctoral candidate in Systems Process Engineering at AVT, is taking advantage of this. His research demonstrates how these spectra can be used to measure reaction-time-dependent concentrations in real […]