Troels Skrydstrup has been invited by the College of France’s assembly upon the recommendation of Professor Louis Fensterbank.
Lectures in English.
Presentation
The chemical industry is a fundamental pillar of the global economy, supporting every major goods-manufacturing sector. Looking ahead, this industry faces a critical transformation. Moving beyond fossil-based hydrocarbons toward renewable carbon sources is essential for achieving long-term sustainability and enabling a circular economy. What pathways are available to the chemical industry to support this transition? And how might a net-zero chemical industry be realized by 2050?
In this lecture, I will present our own research efforts aimed at supporting such a transition. I will discuss three topics, providing examples of the recycling of thermoset plastics, the upcycling of waste plastics for CO2 capture, and, finally, the use of methanol as a C1 feedstock.
References
Epoxy resins/composites:
a) Nature 2023, 617 , 730. b) Nature Communications 2024, 15 , 5656. c) Green Chem. 2024, 26 , 815. d) Nature Chem. , under review, DOI:10.21203/rs.3.rs-6793865/v1.
Polyurethane:
a) JACS Au 2021, 4 , 517. b) ChemSusChem. 2021, 10 , 11191. c) ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2022, 10 , 11191. d) ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2023, 11 , 10737. e) Green Chem. 2023, 25 , 10622. f) Green Chem. 2024, 26 , 8395. g) ACS Org. Inorg. Au 2024, 4, 373. h) Engineering. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.11.031 .
Post-consumer plastics for carbon capture:
a) Chem (Cell Press) 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2025.102918 . b) Chem Circularity (Cell Press), accepted for publication.
Methanol as a C1 feedstock:
a) Chem (Cell Press) 2025, 11, 102396.
Recent coverage of our work by *Nature* , the BBC, and *Chemical & Engineering News* (C&EN)
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01476-1
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04001-0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpQG89oxEVo
- https://cen.acs.org/environment/recycling/Wind-turbine-blade-recycling-picks/102/i31
- https://cen.acs.org/environment/recycling/Mattress-recycling-wakes/103/i4
- https://cen.acs.org/environment/green-chemistry/Organizations-pursue-greener-textiles/102/i3
- https://cen.acs.org/environment/recycling/recycled-lab-gloves-capture-carbon/104/web/2026/02