As we start this new decade, it is useful to step back and take a broad look at what chemistry does, so we can get an idea of the magnitude and complexity of the task. The chemical industry extracts and transforms 1,388 million tonnes of fossil fuel derived-raw materials, 575.8 million tonnes of secondary reactants, and 274 million tonnes of water per year. And it is expected to double its volume by 2030. We cannot continue to extract, emit, and dispose at the levels we are doing now without compromising our climate, our planet, and our own health. If we want to have a viable industry, available resources, and a healthy planet, the circular economy cannot be just an aspiration but the key objective of chemistry. Rethinking chemistry for a circular economy involves profound changes, from the way molecules are conceived to how processes are designed to ensure traceability, recyclability, and reuse. Circularity at the molecular level means turning chemistry toward the reuse of everything we produce – and represents an opportunity to place chemistry at the center of the new circular economy.
We shouldn’t forget that 2030 is also the deadline we have given ourselves for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and chemistry has much to contribute, but business as usual will not take us there. Driven by major megatrends, growth in chemical-intensive industry sectors such as electronics, construction, and agriculture, continue to increase, creating significant risks. But the benefits of action to minimize adverse impacts have been estimated in high tens of billions of dollars, which provides a strong economic incentive to adopt more environmentally friendly processes and strategies. This represents a major challenge and a significant change in the way we do things. That is why the most effective way to adapt chemistry research and industry to the new normal is to reimagine chemistry education. If we keep teaching chemistry like in the second industrial revolution, we will produce excellent chemists for a world that no longer exists.
During my presentation I will describe my own experience in the technology transfer and commercialization of a novel family of catalysts that I discovered during my post-doc at MIT. This is an example of the use of molecular design of catalysts for the reduction of CO2 emissions. Based on my own experience, I coordinated the book “Chemistry Entrepreneurship”, which is a step-by-step guide that is specifically devoted to understanding what it takes to start and grow a new company in the chemistry sector. I will share some of the lessons I learned during the creation, growth, and sell to my company and how to spin-off successful tech start-ups from university labs.