Since 2021, the VIVALDI project, a project funded under the same call of CO2SMOS, has been pushing the boundaries of innovation to transform CO₂ emissions from bio-based industries into valuable resources. Thanks to the support of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, the VIVALDI consortium has developed cutting-edge biotechnological solutions to convert industrial off-gases into four high-value organic acids, key components for more sustainable biomaterials and circular biorefineries.

As the project reaches the final stage of its journey, the consortium is excited to present the breakthroughs to the research and industrial communities with the final conference “Unlocking the Potential of CO2 as Feedstock for the Chemical Industry”. Join the event to unveil VIVALDI results, explore the environmental and economic impact of CO₂ valorization, and discuss how these advancements can shape the future of a greener, more resource-efficient industry.

The event will take place on the 5th of May at Casa Convalescència, Barcelona, Spain. Researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability innovators are welcome to join in person and online.

Find the full agenda here and register to attend in person here or online here.

The 20^th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development by de-coupling growth from the use of natural resources and by a transition to a knowledge-based economy. All taking into account the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainable development.

One of the main issues of the coming decades is to improve efficiencies by integrating various life-supporting systems, using excess from one, as a resource in another at the correct moment. Integrating electricity, heating, cooling, transport, water, buildings, waste, wastewater, industry, forestry and agriculture systems will be pivotal towards sustainable development.

Sustainability being also a perfect field for interdisciplinary and multi-cultural evaluation of complex system, the SDEWES Conference has become a significant venue for researchers in those areas to meet, and originate, discuss, share, and disseminate new ideas.

The CO2SMOS partner RWTH Aachen University will be there to showcase the studies on the social and political perception of CO2SMOS innovation and bio-products. Join the event to discover it!

The third Key to Sustainability symposium will take place on April 29–30 in Wrocław, Poland, hosted by Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

The Key to Sustainability symposia are an initiative of the Research Priority Area Sustainable Chemistry of the University of Amsterdam. Its aim is to bring researchers from academia and industry together in a positive setting, with great speakers, poster sessions and panel discussions. The symposia are on-site only, non-profit and free of charge.

The University of Amsterdam will be there to showcase via a presentation and 2 posters the results of their research on selective ethylene glycol oxidation, long-term electrolysis and suppressing OER, which they conducted in the CO2SMOS project. Join the event to discover it!

The EU-funded project Photo2Fuel is organising the “Innovating Organic Chemistry: Exploring Technology & Sustainable Solutions” workshop on February 12 in Amsterdam.

Hosted by the University of Amsterdam, the workshop will cover several topics, including the development of photoreactors, flow chemistry technologies, electrosynthesis, biocatalysis, and sustainable organic chemistry. External contributions from experts in related fields aim to enrich the dialogue, and expected outcomes for attendees include deeper insights into advanced technologies, networking opportunities, and practical knowledge applicable to sustainable chemical innovations.

In May 2020 the CO2SMOS Project set out for a challenging journey towards the decarbonization of bio-based industries. With the funding support of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, our 15 international partners have explored different groundbreaking technologies to help bio-based industries convert their biogenic CO2 emissions into added-value chemicals suitable for use as building blocks for biomaterials production.

While we are approaching the end of this challenging while enthralling adventure, we are excited to show the world our main outcomes: the CO₂-based commodities and bioplastics we have obtained and how we got them, as well as how our acquired insights about the environmental, economic, social and policy aspects within the CCU fieldwork can push the implementation of these technologies.

Join us at the CO2SMOS Final Conference: Advancing the Circular Bio-based Industry on April 1^st in Brussels to discover the key results, challenges and future steps for the biochemical sector, and celebrate the end of the CO2SMOS project.

The event will take place at CSIC Delegation in Brussels, Rue du Trône 62, 1050 Brussels (Belgium) from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm. Find the agenda HERE.

The 16th European Congress on Catalysis takes place from the 31st of August to the 5th of September 2025 in Trondheim, Norway. The event is jointly organised by the European Federation of Catalysis Societies (EFCATS) and the Nordic Catalysis Societies.

The congress gathers academia and industry focusing on fundamental research, applied research and development within catalysis. The aim is to bring together excellent science, bright ideas, successful development, innovative solutions and an open mind into one place. At its centre, there is “the force” of catalysis, which is of key importance to the resource and environmental challenges faced today.

Addressing the urgent challenges of climate change, energy, and the environment requires the innovative use of chemistry. The Conference on Advances in Chemistry for Energy and Environment (CACEE-2024) aims to bring together diverse branches of chemistry, materials science, spectroscopy, and computational studies to further advance this dynamic field of research.

The conference aims to foster discussions and innovative solutions by exploring the current fundamental understanding of chemistry to address energy and environmental challenges. The focus will be specifically on enhancing light-matter interactions, designing and synthesizing novel materials, and employing in-situ techniques to study chemical processes.

The CO2SMOS project will be presented at this relevant conference by our consortium partner the University of Amsterdam. Prof. Dr. Gadi Rothenberg will give a plenary lecture offering an overview of the global CO2 emissions problem and focus on CO2SMOS contribution and its work on Carbon Capture and Utilisation, examining ways for turning CO₂ emissions into useful products. 

The CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference, organised by nova-Institut, is internationally established and has developed into a unique meeting and networking place for the entire Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and Power-to-X industry and its customers.

The upcoming 13^th edition of this conference, taking place from 29-30 April in Cologne (Germany) as a hybrid event, will showcase the newest and most important developments in the fast-growing field of CCU technologies, green hydrogen production, and Power-to-X for fuels (transportation and aviation).

The CO2SMOS partner the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) will be there to present the scale-up modelling of the Syngas production (RWGS) reactor based on the experimental data gathered in the CO2SMO project. Join the event to discover it!

This lecture, led by Professor Gert-Jan M. Gruter, will focus on future polymer options with highest techno-economical potential: why the transition to new feedstocks (biomass and CO₂) will/should lead to a transition of materials (from polyolefins to polycondensates (polyesters)) and why this is not a threat but an opportunity.

Pr. Gert-Jan M. Gruter is a Professor of Industrial Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam and CTO at Avantium, Amsterdam.

After the lecture, our colleague Marian Blom, Researcher at Avantium, will have the chance to present the CO2SMOS project and the research results she and the Avantium conducted. Her poster will highlight intriguing aspects of the novel copolymers developed by incorporating 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) alongside ethylene glycol in a structure similar to polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Find out more about the full programme by clicking down below.

NWO CHAINS 2024 is the annual Dutch chemistry conference where chemists, from PhD students and postdocs to professors and R&D scientists, in science and industry come together.

The theme of the 2024 edition is ‘Transformation’ referring directly to transformation at a molecular level: a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions form the cornerstone of the work that is done within chemical research and by the chemical community that, every year, flocks together at NWO CHAINS.

The CO2SMOS partner Avantium has been selected to present a poster on their research and results done in the CO2SMOS project! The poster will focus on the potential of bio-based building blocks for sustainable polyesters. One key component is 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), which enhances the heat resistance of materials. Avantium developed new copolymers similar to the well-known plastic PET but incorporated 2,3-BDO.

Don’t miss the conference to discover more!