KEYNOTE: Realising Green Chemical Industries

About this presentation

Industry plays an essential role in society, with the chemical sector traditionally outperforming the world index. The chemical sector is also the largest industrial energy consumer, as well as a highly carbon-intensive industry, accounting globally for around 925 Mt of CO₂ in 2021, i.e. third largest industry subsector. The sector is, therefore, facing numerous challenges to remain both economically and environmentally sustainable.

To meet current ambitious climate policies, the chemical industrial sector must address carbon emissions coming from process energy sources, or as carbon feedstock, while considering long lifespans of industrial sites infrastructure. Decarbonisation is key to address these challenges, but also by realising many opportunities through the creation of low carbon industrial clusters, that can boost the competitiveness of key industry regions and drive inward investment.

Innovation is key in this global transition, as we do not currently have all the commercial technologies required to meet carbon targets.  Powered by research and innovation, the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC, funded by UKRI) is currently developing innovative decarbonisation solutions at pace and scale in the places where it matters most. Informed by a whole-systems approach, IDRIC’s research programme addresses key cross-cutting challenges of industrial decarbonisation. Furthermore, beyond technological innovation, we also need to unlock social barriers, developing financial models and bridging skills gaps to realise our green chemical industries.

Speaker Bio:

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer (FRSE, FIChemE, FRSC, FRSA, FEI)

• Champion and Director- UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC)
• Deputy Principal (Global Sustainability) and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer (FRSE, FIChemE, FRSC, FRSA, FEI) is Champion and Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) focused on accelerating the transition to net zero of the UK industrial clusters and establishing the first world net-zero industrial cluster. Mercedes is Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University. Her internationally recognised track record covers energy systems, CCUS, integration of hydrogen technologies and low-carbon fuels. She has over 550 publications, holds leading positions in professional societies and editorial boards and has received numerous international prizes and awards.