SusChem Stakeholder 2016: Bioeconomy focus

This year’s SusChem stakeholder event takes place on 16 June in Brussels. One of the areas for discussion at the stakeholder event will be SusChem and the sustainable bioeconomy. In this blog Flavio Benedito, SusChem secretary and Cefic Innovation Manager (pictured below) responsible for this SusChem priority area, outlines the field, its many areas of innovation for sustainable chemistry and how you can participate in the discussion on the sustainable bioeconomy at #suschem16.

A sustainable bioeconomy is one of the five SusChem priority areas for innovation. The European Commission sees the bioeconomy as Europe's response to the key environmental challenges that the world is facing today. Promoting the bioeconomy will help to reduce Europe’s dependence on natural resources, transform manufacturing, promote sustainable production of renewable resources and encourage their conversion into food, feed, fibre, biobased products and bioenergy, while growing new jobs and industries.

Over the coming decades, the world will witness increased competition for limited and finite natural resources. A 70% increase of the world food supply will be  required to feed the nine billion global population by 2050.

A transition will be needed towards an optimal use of renewable biological resources. We must move towards sustainable primary production and processing systems that can produce more food, fibre and other biobased products with fewer inputs, less environmental impact and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Managed in a sustainable manner, the bioeconomy can help build a more competitive, innovative and prosperous Europe by:

• sustaining a wide range of public goods, including biodiversity and ecosystem services,
• reducing the environmental footprint of primary production and the supply chain as a whole
• increasing competitiveness,
• enhancing Europe's self-reliance, and
• providing jobs and business opportunities.

SusChem and the bioeconomy
A sustainable bioeconomy features in the SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) encompassing the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and associated waste streams into value-added products such as feed, food, biobased products and bioenergy.

Integrated biorefineries are central to the development of the bioeconomy and were one SusChem’s original flagship innovation concepts. They can deliver new sources of chemical building blocks that are either structurally similar to fossil-based feedstock or new with novel functionalities and improved properties. In order to unlock the full potential of a sustainable biomass supply, it is essential to consider all possible sources including second generation biomass and waste streams (such as municipal wastes). The bioeconomy can improve resource efficiency and is a key element in achieving the broader concept of a circular, integrated, renewable economy.

Innovation is also a key solution provider for the transition to a more Circular Economy and the development by the chemical sector of innovative advanced materials and process technologies is essential to enable a better use of existing resources along the whole life cycle, to develop new production and recycling paths.

SusChem – an essential link
SusChem is an essential link between the chemical industry, industrial biotechnology and stakeholders in the bioeconomy and is actively involved in two large and relevant PPPs between the European Commission and industry that were launched in 2014: the ‘Biobased Industries’ (BBI) Joint Undertaking that brings together research and industry partners along the whole value chain of biobased products and focuses on innovation for products from biobased feedstock; and the ‘Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency’ (SPIRE) PPP that provides a solid basis for academia, SMEs, and multinational companies to collaborate on cross-sectorial initiatives in these areas.

SusChem contributes to the alignment of both initiatives and recently participated in the successful BBI Info Day.

The interface between BBI and SPIRE is the provision and use of biobased platform chemicals. In addition, both PPPs may support projects using biotechnological conversion processes and specific improvements of biotechnology processes may be eligible for funding through either PPP. SusChem is working to ensure the coherence of on-going and future funding initiatives and the deployment of flagship projects that demonstrate technological leadership and that Europe is a globally competitive location to invest in the bioeconomy.

Stakeholder discussions
A highly interactive debate is expected at the Stakeholder event on 16 June and your questions and expectations on the outcomes for the panel debates, in particular on water treatment, reuse and management, are welcome in advance.

Registration for the 2016 SusChem Stakeholder event is now open. This dedicated registration website includes links to discounted accommodation at the Hotel Bloom in Brussels - the venue for the event.

You are invited to submit your questions and comments and also your expectations for outcomes as part of the registration process. You can submit your questions and comments when you register and there will also be a link for question submission sent with the registration confirmation email.

SusChem introduces: Flavio Benedito

Cefic Research and Innovation has recently recruited two new Innovation Managers who will be heavily involved with SusChem activities over the next few years. Flavio Luiz Benedito and Martin Winter both started their secondment to Cefic in June and many members of the SusChem community will have met them at the 2015 SusChem Stakeholder event. In this and a subsequent article we introduce both managers and ask them about what they are expecting to achieve for Sustainable Chemistry in Europe during their time with the platform. 

In this article we talk to Flavio. You can find the interview article with Martin here.

Career highlights

Flavio got his bachelors degree in Chemistry in Brazil and moved to Germany in 2003 to finish his Masters degree at Bayer. There he had the opportunity to be involved in the research and development of new fungicides.

Following this he was awarded a full scholarship to do a PhD at the Max-Planck-Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry. His fascination for interdisciplinary research continued in 2009 when he joined the group of Prof. Ferdi Schueth as a post-doc fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for Coal Research working in the field of nanomaterials and solid state Chemistry.

Seeking broader international experience he moved to Austria in 2010 to work as a research scientist in the field of natural product synthesis at the Innsbruck University. To combine and apply all this acquired know-how, he returned to Germany in 2011 and joined BASF in the Organic Electronics project cluster developing research in organic photovoltaics, OLEDs, as well as other upcoming technologies. This background in very innovative and sustainability-focused topics helped him to join the Cefic Research and Innovation team on secondment from BASF in June 2015.    

In his spare time Flavio likes sports, travels, plays the piano and helps to organize and play in benefit concerts.

What is your view on Sustainable Chemistry?

Sustainable Chemistry enables a better use of natural resources applied to fulfil societal needs for chemicals and services. One of the main key points of Sustainable Chemistry is to enable the development of safe, effective, and eco-efficient chemical processes that have benign environmental impact. 

But in my opinion Sustainable Chemistry goes far beyond this; it stimulates innovative research, opens several opportunities for new value chains favouring economic growth, boosts the chemical sector as a whole, generates new jobs, and is able to offer a better life quality for society.   

How do you see your new role contributing to your view on Sustainable Chemistry? 

The role of a Research & Innovation Manager is to find synergistic pathways that both industry and government can align their interests in order to address societal needs. One good example is the coordination of PPPs (Public-Private-Partnerships) that combines public funding and industrial initiatives to promote projects for the development of new innovative and sustainable technologies and processes. 

What challenges do you foresee? 

Nowadays the majority of chemical production relies on oil and the migration to a more biobased production is seen as an evolution and not a revolution. A significant change in the mind-set is needed. To influence and promote this change, intermediate governmental interests and industry willingness towards sustainability are some of the greatest challenges I foresee.   

What do you hope to achieve by the end of your three years at Cefic? 

After three years at Cefic I hope to have generated solid results, contributed and participated in several projects, helped the chemical industry in representing their interests, expanded my network and enjoyed a great time and experiences with my wonderful colleagues in the team.

What areas are you looking to collaborate with others and how do you prefer to be contacted? 

In the beginning I will mainly be involved in bioeconomy and rare raw materials projects, but I will also have the chance to work on other topics in the future. If you want to contact me please e-mail me directly.