This ‘miracle molecule’ is one of the building blocks of modern society yet most of us have never heard of it. What is it? Ethylene. Business (and kids) manager Wouter guides us on a journey to discover what ethylene is, how it’s made in a cracker, and why it is so important to our way of living. In this episode we learn the difference between fuels and chemicals, why coca cola was aiming for more sustainability with the introduction of plastic bottles, the differences between mechanical and chemical recycling and of course - how to sustainalize this industry.

Over 20% of all Dutch emissions are coming from the Port of Rotterdam, of which the production of grey hydrogen from fossil feedstock is one of the main culprits. This article explores what is needed to build a green hydrogen refinery. It provides an overview of the existing fossil infrastructure and fuel consumption, which technologies are required to transform, how much it would cost and who are actually working on it.

Bioplastics are said to be the “better” plastic of the future: biodegradable, eco-friendly and just as convenient. But is that actually true?

Up to 20% of our energy needs could be met by sustainably harvested biomass, in particular food and agricultural waste, as well as manure. Biomass could serve a crucial role in the energy transition by replacing gas and petroleum in (chemical) industry, aviation and maritime shipping.

How much energy do we need and what do we use it for? In this part, it is determined that the world needs 435 TWh per day, of which 87% comes from fossil fuels. This energy is needed in 3 sectors for 3 different purposes (3x3 energy rule). The sectors are transportation, industry and buildings. The purposes are heating, transport and electricity. Depending on the region, most of our energy is required in the transportation sector and for heating purposes.

How much biomass is produced each year and how much can we sustainably harvest? In the first part of this series, we find that the annual global production of land-based biomass is 50 billion tons, of which roughly 8 billion tons of biomass can be sustainably harvested each year. This is determined by dividing biomass into four distinct groups suitable for energy production: wood, agriculture, food waste and manure. For each group, the amount of annual ‘production’ and the amount suitable for sustainable ‘harvest’ is determined, adhering to the ‘food, feed, fiber first’ principle.