This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Sustainable chemistry spinout Lixea is preparing to build a 25,000 tonne/year biomass processing plant producing commercial volumes of novel materials proprietary ionic liquids are less harsh and more recyclable than volatile organic solvents creating a cost-efficient and highly sustainable approach that could underpin a biomaterials economy in which everything from packaging materials to adhesives and plastics are built from biomass rather than fossil feedstocks Biorefining isolates useful chemical components from the 2 billion tonnes of global annual waste biomass - derived mostly from rice and wheat straw sugarcane bagasse as well as wood residue from farming paper and furniture production.  Unlocking this abundant sustainable source nonetheless remains a challenge Component cellulose and lignin are polymers within biomass that form complex cellular networks which are difficult to break down and process in order to meet industrial requirements said: “We’ve worked relentlessly to find ways to replace polluting energy-intensive processes in the development of important and widespread materials Our aim is to transform the way industry thinks about these products by offering them a competitive we’ve made incredible progress.”  The company broke ground on their Swedish pilot-scale plant in 2021 and has worked tirelessly since to refine its technology and test production processes with customers and industry partners alike According to CEO Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner their next big milestone is in development already “We are now working towards the design and building of our commercial demonstrator plant This will be capable of processing 25,000 tonnes of biomass a year It lets us evaluate our process at a much bigger scale and provides customers with raw materials in the quantities they work with” The need to produce at scale is echoed by co-founder Professor Jason Hallett who states that “Companies that buy cellulose don’t buy it in small amounts We need to be able to deliver tonnes at a time to satisfy their production demands.” the Fund will support 85 projects to the tune of €4.8 billion euros Along with the grant preparation, Lixea has been awarded the STEP Seal, recognising its contribution to the objectives of the “Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform” this represents another incredible milestone in a journey that started in the research labs of South Kensington Professor Jason Hallett joined Imperial College London in 2006 as postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry An early research project saw him team up with PhD student Dr Agi Brandt Talbot to evaluate the use of ionic liquids as a means of dissolving wood chips Professor Hallet explains: “In the chemical industries If we don’t have a better use for something Ionic liquids are a huge class of compounds which are much better than the most common solvents like acetate or toluene in some cases they can be complex and very expensive An early research task identified some ionic liquids that were suitable A moment of serendipity led to a key discovery when samples introduced to the ionic liquid were not dried properly “The prevailing understanding was that you shouldn’t get ionic liquids wet But we got much better results with this sample And now we needed to understand what was happening which led to further research,” said Dr Brandt-Talbot Agi subsequently went to work for another Imperial spinout while Jason continued to develop the research and won grant funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) looking to develop ionic liquid extraction Agi rejoined in 2014 as postdoctoral researcher and with the founding team in place their combined efforts led towards a viable commercial proposition “Jason identified very early in the process that the way to make Lixea commercially viable was to find an ionic liquid that was cheap to synthesise but still highly effective.” Jason agrees that this was key: “What we ended up with was an ionic liquid that cost about 1% as much to make but performed about 85% as well When we combined that with the work Florence carried out making the process suitable for waste biomass it significantly changed the economics.” the team considered licensing the technology as a commercial route aiming to sell to established industry players between 2014 and 2016 the global oil price dropped by around 70% making fossil-based feedstocks much cheaper Then a wave of early bio-economy investments failed It was a difficult environment to try and commercialise a sustainable chemistry technology!” I had significant prize fund winnings – and we decided we had a basis to form a company" she recalls Lixea’s founders were able to count on colleagues for support “When we were first pitching the idea to investors Professor Nilay Shah helped us produce a model evaluating the economics of the idea Combined with our lab-scale demonstrations this was invaluable in getting people to believe our company could work.” Agi said.  Jason maintained his academic role while the company incubated within the laboratories of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering who found herself as CEO of the nascent enterprise following her PhD studies found inspiration in her contemporaries: “One of my close colleagues and friends took part in some of the same accelerator programmes as I did Her attitude of getting out there and trying to make things happen was infectious – I realised I could do the same.” Lixea’s journey is testament to hard work Its multinational team has taken a little-known niche technology through exhaustive rounds of funding to a working pilot plant proving laboratory results at scale Now the company is planning to build its commercial demonstrator to produce material in industrial quantities reclaiming the site of a former oil refinery in Central Europe Lixea will turn a defunct polluting enterprise in a quiet corner of Europe into a green sustainable centre of sustainable excellence providing secure well-paid employment for the locality and beyond  “Where next is a good question,” says Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner who has guided the company through recent tumultuous times that included the pandemic political challenges to the sustainability agenda and global financial difficulties “Lixea is seeking investment to help us build our demonstrator plant We’ve identified a site thatwas formerly used to refine oil and there’s a nice symmetry in acquiring it for use in the bioeconomy instead we can prove our approach works cost effectively at scale while saving thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions.” who is still closely involved with Lixea as scientific adviser it is both the end and the beginning of a journey “I have built my academic career around ionic liquids and using them as an extraction solvent Proving through Lixea that a process we observed in the lab more than fifteen years ago can work at scale in a commercial context is incredibly exciting But there’s much more still to come from ionic liquids.” Professor Sandro Macchietto Director of Enterprise in the Department of Chemical Engineering said: "Lixea's platform technology is succeeding commercially in an area littered with many failed attempts It has demonstrated the ability to make sustainably economically and at scale a huge variety of products currently produced from fossil feedstocks.  "Their story shows that taking a new high-tech process from lab to market is particularly challenging, taking time, capital and true entrepreneurial grit. To support the journey, we have given Lixea visibility and exposure to investors through our pioneering ChemEng Enterprise initiative Lixea represents a great example and model for the long list of other exciting deep-tech companies that have recently spun out and the dozen in the pipeline from the department  Congratulations and best wishes to Krisztina and co-founders Article text (excluding photos or graphics) © Imperial College London Photos and graphics subject to third party copyright used with permission or © Imperial College London Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Suggestions or feedback? Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Philip Gschwend presented on environmental topics to approximately 75 MIT alumni in Mashpee a signature of those who have been MIT alumni for at least 50 years Attendees also included members of the Cardinal and Gray Society and the Emma Rogers Society whose purpose is to gather together periodically to socialize and engage in intellectual conversations The air was filled with comradery and laughter — a clear sign that this group was not new to each others’ company welcomed everyone and recognized those who made special efforts to attend the Ford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Ralph M Parsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering who spoke on the topic: “Environmental Pollution: Do Our Remedial Solutions Solve the Problems?” Gschwend encouraged the group to ask questions throughout his presentation and the attendees responses showed they were engaged we try to come up with solutions,” said Gschwend often the best thing you can do is to first step back and consider if the perceived cause of a problem is the right thing to correct That’s the important question with which I think we have to start but that’s often not how we proceed to address unhealthy environmental situations now.” Gschwend then brought the audience back to California in the 1960s He showed photos with smog covering up views of the mountains He described how there was a very high toxic concentration of ozone then that paired with the already existing smog Gschwend repeated what environmentalists said back then “We know what the problem is — we can see it It must have to do with the exhaust coming out of cars the hydrocarbon fuels that did not get burned in the engines.” The thinking of that day was the solution would be to just add a device to tailpipes to remove the hydrocarbons and the smog and ozone would disappear Gschwend explained that this solution was insufficient because it was discovered that it is not only hydrocarbon emissions causing the high concentration of ozone when the chemistry of this air-pollution problem was really understood much better which finally helped reduced the ozone pollution as opposed to saying immediately 'I know what that is,' and trying to fix it and you waste a lot of time and resources.” Gschwend then talked about the phosphorus pollution in Lake Erie and how people originally believed it stemmed only from laundry detergent But a ban on phosphorus in detergent did not solve the problem He explained that again this solution was over-simplified in that the phosphorus use in agriculture was neglected and was increasingly leaching into the lake and hit home his point that such environmental problems need to be thought of as systems His talk then transitioned into environmental issues caused by chemical spillage of substances like DDT from commercial use Gschwend says that while he is a geochemist and an environmental chemist he is not opposed to the use of freons and DDTs He says they do great things to solve technical problems and are economically useful DDT certainly helped in the fight against malaria is that the chemicals are used without proper attention to the “potential unintended consequences of their production Gschwend went through various examples of chemical spills occurring and companies’ trying to fix a singular problem when what was really needed was to plan and implement a total systems solution as a chemical/material product’s use was initially being implemented “Why aren’t companies doing anything to prepare for the spills ahead of time?” He emphasized “who isn’t ready to clean up spilled milk in the kitchen alumni and guests repeatedly offered their opinions and feedback to inquisitive questions about local environmental issues it was clear the audience related to Gschwend’s key message: complex problems should include a broad analysis and understanding of causes and issues as people continue to affect the environment and changes in the environment in turn impact people real solutions to problems often require a larger-scale systems approach And this thinking should be developed at the outset of producing/using chemicals and materials.    President and webmaster of the class of 1956 and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumnus Ralph Kohl said he “very much enjoyed” the day and found Gschwend to be “very lively,” adding “I can only imagine what his exams would be like!” This website is managed by the MIT News Office, part of the Institute Office of Communications Massachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Avenue Ralfonso Gschwend doesn’t really sound like an artist — moreover is down-to-earth and about as congenial as it gets joking about having a cup of coffee or glass of wine after-hours during the Art of Sustainability 19-21 at Eastern Florida State College in Palm Bay and not because he is one of its featured sculptors and speakers is that it features art where everyone and anyone can see it and that is the way to get people interested and inspired “I have done art for public places for the last 16 years,” the Swiss-born Gschwend “It is so important that art becomes accessible.” Gschwend’s art was featured in the United Arab Emirates thanks to his talent and their striking nature: interactive with their environment — “It sounds like a cliché but that’s the only way to describe it,” — wind “I have been doing kinetic art and design for a really long time (since 1980) but my sculptures kind of came into the public eye about 16 years ago," he added Not long after Gschwend’s sculptures drew attention he banded with fellow artists from the U.S and Germany to co-found the Kinetic Art Organization It has more than 1,000 members from 60 countries Its point is his point: Let as many people as possible see kinetic art and they may just understand and like it because it is art with a purpose: Behind the shiny squares or whirling blades of a kinetic sculpture may be panels or movement that bring solar power or energy to people nearby Electricity used in conjunction with movement may change the very perception of the piece Gschwend does not head off into a discussion of ephemera or out-there philosophy he is a graduate of the University of Southern California has an MBA from Wharton School of Finance and worked in real estate near San Francisco He says he got into kinetic art because he has a passion for things mechanical as well as artistic his studio is located in an old building in downtown West Palm Beach which he would love to see revived as other such areas have been He is excited about coming  to Palm Bay because before agreeing to participate in the Art of Sustainability he did not realize how much art figures into life in Brevard performing arts venues and the Brevard Cultural Alliance’s thriving "art in public places" program Friday about making art move and moving people with art “Kinetic art must be interesting to the viewer and be energy-positive,” he said and the latter can be interpreted in more ways than one Follow Lyn on Twitter: @lyn_dowling Info: Call Brevard Cultural Alliance at 321-690-6817 or visit theartofsustainability.org. For more on Ralfonso Gschwend, visit ralfonso.com. Send a Tweet to @artofsustain 19 and 20: Art of Sustainability symposium with speakers 20 and 21: Family fun days with environmental exhibits 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20: Keith Winsten, Patricia Watts, FLORIDA TODAY environmental reporter Jim Waymer 19-March 18: Art of Sustainaility kinetic sculpture exhibition at EFSC in Palm Bay 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21:FLORIDA TODAY's Executive Editor Bob Gabordi will host a Sustainability Walk at EFSC in Palm Bay. The 4-mile walk will be around the kinetic art displays and near the waterways and grasslands of the campus. To sign up, visit on.flatoday.com/artwalk today announced new ownership of its Lake Zurich location Head trainer Kelly Gshwend will take the reins and oversee all aspects of the Lake Zurich studio Kelly left the corporate world in the Fall of 2019 to join the team at Cross Kicks Fitness as the head trainer in Lake Zurich Kelly is NASM-CPT certified and is licensed to teach Les Mills Bodypump HIIT workouts like Tabata and even aqua classes then began taking group fitness classes and realized that I was passionate about them I knew I wanted to be up there leading the charge," said Kelly Kelly began teaching classes at Gold's Gym in Central Illinois on evenings after work and on the weekends "I realized that I needed MORE…more energy more of a like-minded community of people looking for health and fitness advancement," said Kelly "I fell in love with the industry - and with Cross Kicks Fitness - and found my calling as a fitness club owner I am very excited to bring functional strength and conditioning training as well as nutritional guidance to our members." Cross Kicks Fitness entered the market space with a cutting-edge concept It has all of the latest fitness modalities including functional cross training With no class times and a dedicated trainer leading the workouts Cross Kicks Fitness has gained quick popularity in Lake Zurich and surrounding communities "Kelly is a perfect fit for our model at Cross Kicks Fitness She is motivated and driven to do great things," said Tony Wuebker "We have already seen amazing things from her as a Club Manager and Head Trainer The members and staff will continue to be enlightened with her leadership and forward progress." Cross Kicks Fitness Lake Zurich is hosting a "Get Up and Go Challenge" to help members get ready for summer The special offer and challenge will include: • An unlimited 14-day membership with built-in incentives • A participation card that can be redeemed for a $50 credit once participants complete 5+ check-in's • A FREE pair of Cross Kicks Fitness-branded boxing gloves (a $35 value) "Summer is right around the corner and now is the best time to test-drive our workout regimens learn more about our community and culture and understand what drives our members to achieve such amazing results We cater to all fitness levels and abilities and we love to help our members stay committed Come in and see what we're all about," concluded Kelly The special package can be bought now and redeemed within 30 days. To sign up for the "Get Up and Go" promotion visit http://bit.ly/getupandgoLZ. For more information on Cross Kicks Fitness, visit https://crosskicksfitness.com CLARKSVILLE -- A Johnson County woman says Clarksville police used unnecessary force when they arrested her mentally ill son in June Tom Sissom has worked at newspapers in Pine Bluff Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas for more than 40 years Beginning as a police beat reporter in Pine Bluff and city and county governments in addition to dabbling in coverage of agriculture a columnist and city editor and an editorial page editor This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is essential in order to tackle the climate crisis but this involves more than just increasing the share of renewable energy Reliable alternatives need to be found for petroleum-based products which is what chemical processing company Lixea is doing by turning wood waste into biochemicals about the new process and the company’s journey from spin-out to building a pilot facility is a spin-out from Imperial College London and was set up by Gschwend along with Jason Hallett Scientific and Technical Advisor and Co-Founder The idea for Lixea began with Brandt’s PhD project at Imperial which involved research on using ionic liquids as a solvent to process biomass Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at around room temperature and have traditionally been very expensive They have the advantage of having a low vapour pressure which makes them safe to handle in an open atmosphere and also means they have no harmful emissions Brandt developed the process using a low-cost ionic liquid and filed two patents for the process together with her supervisors and colleague Gschwend started her PhD at Imperial in 2013 focussing on using waste wood as a feedstock and how to make the process more economical Gschwend and her supervisors alongside Brandt also filed a patent on the new process but no large company was willing to take a licence for the technology prompting the team to look into developing and marketing the new chemical process themselves gaining insight into the potential market for the technology they were able to form Lixea as a spin-out in June 2017 just as Gschwend finished her PhD and moved into full-time employment at the company Gschwend was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 in science and healthcare and in 2019 she won the Young Researcher Award at the IChemE Global Awards Using biomass as a feedstock can reduce the CO2 emissions associated with making a product but the feedstock needs to be carefully considered so that there is no impact from land use changes and that production of the feedstock doesn’t compete with food production Lignocellulose is the material that makes up cell walls in woody plants such as trees and shrubs and it is the most abundant plant material in the world It is not utilised for food production and is a waste product from several industries “We can work with quite a few different input materials from the construction and demolition industry,” explains Gschwend “At the moment industries have to pay for the disposal of the wood and we can potentially capture it at a lower cost which also makes it more viable at a smaller scale the UK produces around 5m t of waste wood every year We’re looking at plant sizes of around 60,000 t that we’d have to capture so we’d have to capture around 1% of UK waste wood in one plant.” Lignocellulose is comprised of three biopolymers: cellulose but also a variety of other products,” says Gschwend The lignin can be used to replace some common petrochemicals or it can be spun into carbon fibres or it can converted to a biodiesel drop in.” Lixea’s BioFlex process is a pretreatment technology for the lignocellulose biomass and can be used with almost any type of woody material The ionic liquid separates the different components of the lignocellulose while also allowing byproducts such as furfural and acetic acid to be recovered which can be used in the chemical industry “In order to make anything from those different components it’s important to separate them from each other So in our process we cook the wood in the ionic liquid and that results in the dissolution of the lignin and the hemicellulose so what is left behind is cellulose which is a fibrous pulp,” says Gschwend The cellulose is removed by filtering it out leaving behind a liquid containing the ionic liquid which undergoes chemical transformation into small molecules Adding water to that solution precipitates the lignin out The diluted ionic liquid then undergoes an evaporation step and at this point the small molecules produced from hemicellulose such as furfural can be isolated The ionic liquid can then be recycled for the next batch The development of the new process was not without its challenges “Because it’s a new process and it uses a new type of solvent that is not commonly used in industry yet there was quite a bit of educating needed from our side,” says Gschwend They had to perform an extensive corrosion study to understand the limits of materials used in construction of the BioFlex technology “The requirements of the material of construction are different which has made it quite difficult for us to use existing equipment so we had to first of all test the material would be compatible with ours.” obtaining funding for an emerging technology was difficult especially as investors are unlikely to take risks at early stages Lixea has now received €2.3m (US$2.5m) through the European Innovation Council‘s Accelerator programme which will be a game changer for the company and allow them to move forward with their technology “That is really a huge relief for us,” says Gschwend “First of all it will allow us to grow the team and it will allow us to build our pilot facility which is a huge milestone in terms of technological development.” Currently Lixea is operating at a large lab scale and is designing a pilot plant which is due to be operational in 18 months When it is possible to produce larger quantities of cellulose and lignin they also plan to assess the possibility of new products that can be made from the wood waste Lixea aims to develop the technology so that it can be sold as process design packages to a wide variety of companies in the biorefinery sector to produce their products Partially retrofitting the technology would be technically feasible for some facilities such as paper mills as they already filter cellulose during the production of paper the ionic liquid has different properties to chemicals currently used meaning that construction materials would need to be different The bioeconomy is still small compared to the fossil fuel industry and it will take a lot of work – both in terms of developing technology and implementing policies – in order for it to grow at a rate where it can compete with petrochemicals “I think quite a lot of things have to happen for that to become reality,” says Gschwend Renewable fuels are subsidised in some places but that will need to be expanded to other materials such as bioplastics “The petroleum-based industry has a huge advantage in terms of how long it’s been around and how much time to optimise but the petroleum-based industry wasn’t as efficient from day one I think because of that we also need to acknowledge that the bio-based industry will be subsidised at the beginning to level the playing field a bit This has to go beyond just energy and fuel; it has to also extend to chemical feedstocks and materials like plastics or even clothing fibres I think as there’s more development around the bio-based industry it will become more efficient.” Article by Amanda Doyle Capturing CO2 with C-Capture Waste to jet fuels project set for take off Powering the future: the lithium battery that doesn’t get thrown away Pyrolysis Gets Personal Process Engineer - Safety Specialist Process Engineering Lead Process Engineer - Upstream Process Engineer - Lower Carbon A conversation with the experts: watch the recordings of our previous webinars and sign-up to attend future online webcasts You do not have to be a chemical engineer to join IChemE Our global membership community includes people from a range of disciplines who have an interest in and/or relevant experience in chemical engineering View a wider selection of the archive from within the Magazine section of this site We offer readers a flexible range of subscription options and you are certain to find one that suits your needs Process Engineer - Safety Specialist view job Process Engineering Lead view job Process Engineer - Upstream view job Process Engineer - Lower Carbon view job Quality Engineer view job Process Control and Simulation Lead view job Process Controls Engineer view job Process Controls Engineer - Alarm Management view job © 2025 Institution of Chemical Engineers Site by Technical Labs Dr Florence Gschwend receiving her award at the ceremony hosted by actor Warwick Davis Dr Florence Gschwend received the IChemE Young Researcher Award at a ceremony in Hull Each year the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) celebrate the best in chemical process and biochemical engineering with their Global Awards co-founder and CEO of Imperial spin-out company Chrysalix Technologies was awarded this year’s Young Researcher Award which recognises “the individual who best demonstrates the impact of their research in helping to address important economic Chrysalix Technologies has commercialised the BioFlex Process which enables unwanted waste wood to be used for the production of renewable chemicals Dr Gschwend and the company have been previously recognised with awards including the Forbes 30 Under 30 Awards and Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship IChemE President Ken Rivers said: “Our profession has always shown incredible passion chemical engineers are constantly striving for better products and more environmentally friendly solutions “The Global Awards has always managed to distil the best of chemical engineering into one glorious evening “Congratulations to all the winners.” Watch Dr Gschwend talking about her work and Chrysalix Technologies in the video below, or visit the company's website We meet the people who plan to change the world with green chemistry Words: Becky Allen | Photography: Sophia Spring | Styling: Vicky Lees which turns waste wood into valuable raw materials From farming and pharmaceuticals to transport and communications But it is also an industry that is too often dirty When Dr Florence Gschwend (MRes Chemistry 2013 PhD Chemical Engineering 2017) arrived at Imperial she knew she wanted to use her science for sustainability But she never anticipated inventing a new process – BioFlex – that could “transform today’s waste into tomorrow’s raw materials” around 100 million tonnes of waste wood go unrecycled every year – a major economic loss and an untapped resource BioFlex turns waste wood that would otherwise go to landfill into valuable raw materials that can be made into new plastics It means that, in the future, BioFlex could be used in anything from biodegradable plastic cups to flat-pack furniture and paints. The process was developed by new spinout company Chrysalix Technologies, founded by Gschwend (now a Research Associate at the Department of Chemical Engineering) with colleagues Dr Jason Hallett and Dr Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot (PhD Life Sciences 2011) “Decarbonising the world’s economy means more than ditching fossil fuels in favour of renewables like solar and wind energy,” explains Gschwend “We need huge quantities of raw materials to produce everyday items and much of this still comes from a barrel of oil “Our two innovations are using a cheap solvent and a cheap raw material The added benefit of using our solvent is that it can extract the heavy metals used as wood preservers and which remain one of the main barriers to its recycling.” And because the BioFlex process uses no sulphur the output materials it generates are free from the rotten-egg smell that prevents the paper industry doing anything useful with its major by-product But what makes BioFlex so special is that it works with any plant material “Plants are made of varying proportions of cellulose but our process works regardless of which plant species you use,” says Gschwend but it could be applied equally well to agricultural residues or invasive species.”  Forget gold and platinum: the precious metal we should all be talking about is palladium a silvery metal used in catalytic converters for many of the 1.2 billion vehicles on the road an awful lot of it ends up on the (literal) scrapheap Dr James Wilton-Ely (Chemistry 1994 Reader in Inorganic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry wants to find new ways of recycling these and other extraordinarily useful metals not least because they are globally scarce and costly to extract local communities and the environment – and palladium mining is no different – so instead of more mining we need to reuse more of this precious metal,” he says recycling palladium from old catalytic converters to make new ones is too expensive But together with Professor Angela Serpe at the University of Cagliari Wilton-Ely has developed new ways of reusing this palladium for catalysts in other industries Serpe and her colleagues have pioneered a new process capable of separating old catalytic converters into palladium compounds Rather than using huge amounts of energy to reduce palladium back to the metal the process uses mild chemicals and small amounts of energy to yield palladium in molecular form Wilton-Ely’s idea was to find new ways to reuse these valuable compounds He’s already discovered that they can be used as catalysts in pharmaceutical research they perform just as well as existing catalysts – with the added benefit that the palladium is recycled Wilton-Ely has extended his work into the myriad reactions based on palladium “It’s probably the most catalytic of metals so it’s widely used in lots of applications we’ve applied it to lots of routine and industrially important processes that make large quantities of chemical products,” he says but in future Angela’s methods could be widely used in industry – and our research will be ready to be rapidly adopted on an industrial scale.” Dr James Wilton-Ely is finding new ways to reuse precious metals such as palladium think carefully about what may have gone into it – every day millions of people globally are exposed to toxic manmade chemicals called per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Seeing first-hand how industrial chemicals like PFAS have polluted natural environments was part of what motivated Henrik Hagemann (MEng Bioengineering 2015) to find better ways of removing micropollutants from wastewater “Travelling through very low-income parts of the world made me want to reduce the impact these chemicals have by tackling the problem at source,” he says Together with Gabi Santosa (Life Sciences 2016) Amanda You (PhD Materials 2016) and Shayne Petkiewicz (MSc Chemical Engineering 2016) Hagemann has developed a new way of selectively removing PFAS and other pollutants from wastewater Their invention is based on simple cellulose it is the most abundant natural polymer in the world By processing the cellulose and using supramolecular chemistry – how compounds or building blocks are held together by intramolecular bonds – they can produce porous non-biodegradable granules that can be tailor-made to mop up specific pollutants non-wetting and look a bit like sand,” explains Hagemann “Compared with the activated carbon that’s currently widely used our materials are novel because not only can they be targeted so you can reuse our granules on site with a simple non-hazardous liquid wash.” The end result is a system that is more effective produces less downstream waste and is much less expensive “We’re targeting chemicals that are so persistent that in some cases people currently incinerate water to deal with the problem When you compare using our cellulose-based granules with burning water at 1,100°C you get an idea of the difference we can make.” taken your clothes to a dry cleaner or simply made a cup of tea you’ll have come into contact with solvents But these essential liquids are often hazardous to health and the environment and we urgently need to find greener alternatives chemists have wondered whether ionic liquids – salts that are liquid at room temperature and capable of dissolving almost anything – could be the answer Despite being hailed as ‘designer solvents’ tailor made for a specific purpose by varying their ions the chemistry of ionic liquids was far more complex “When I started studying them in 1985, you could put everyone working on ionic liquids in one small room. I know that because it happened – and there were about 30 of us,” says Professor Tom Welton “Now there are thousands of researchers in a field that’s become very large and hugely exciting.” What most excites Welton isn’t just that our theories still cannot adequately explain how ionic liquids behave but that his discoveries have so many potentially world-changing applications we are finding out how ionic liquids actually behave Knowing that means that we can manipulate them to achieve a desired outcome,” he explains Welton is working on real-world applications for ionic liquids alongside his research such as solutions to the challenges of recycling textiles (it’s currently impossible to recycle polycotton mixtures) and ways of using ionic liquids to dissolve wood which could open up totally new ways of producing biofuels Something like making biology-based replacements for the oil refinery without using plant foods – now that would have massive global implications.” Imperial is the magazine for the Imperial community insight and context from – and on – the College’s engineers as well as stories about student life and alumni experiences This story was published originally in Imperial/45: Winter 2018–19 and her new classmates at the Hawaii Job Corps Center on March 16 who completed the culinary program in Hawaii and is continuing her education in San Francisco plans to return to Guam to open a food truck specializing in burgers takes a selfie with a couple of colleagues at the Advanced Culinary Training at the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in San Francisco on Feb He did live in Guam for several years and attended Simon Sanchez High School for about two years Gschwend started the program in October 2019 FAMILIAR FACES: Southern High School graduates Kaila Chargulauf and Anastasia Gschwend both attended classes at the Hawaii Job Corps Center who is now taking advanced culinary training with the Job Corps center in San Francisco said the program has been an immense help in helping her get closer to realizing her dream of owning her own business Anastasia Gschwend would have completed her advanced culinary training at the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in San Francisco The Santa Rita daughter hopes to return to Guam and open a food truck I’m thinking of doing burgers - beef patty poultry and a vegan burger,” Gschwend said She’s one of many young Guam residents who participated in the Job Corps taking the first step with the corps center in Hawaii The trades program offers career technical skills training in 10 industry sectors: advanced manufacturing The Job Corps also offers - at no cost - housing a living allowance and career transition assistance according to the Department of Labor-funded program who graduated from Southern High School in 2017 and aspired to attend culinary school the program allowed her access to educational opportunities she couldn’t afford A friend of the family told her mom about the Job Corps and she was able to join in 2019 on my shoulders because culinary school is very expensive,” Gschwend said provided the education and also covered the cost of room and board she was able to get through the nearly two years of the basic culinary program in Hawaii After graduating from the Job Corps in Hawaii coaches helped connect her with the advanced culinary program “The Job Corps definitely helped (with) a whole bunch of finances we also get free food and a place to say,” she said “And afterwards they try to help us find jobs and even housing so it helps you … when you’re trying to ‘adult.'” said Gschwend “was motivated to learn and rose to become a leader in the kitchen.” the Federated States of Micronesia and other Pacific islands they have 68 students on campus or in virtual learning status three are from Palau and five are from the Federated States of Micronesia “Many students from Guam and the surrounding Pacific islands have incredible success after graduating from Hawaii Job Corps,” said Ellen May “I’ve dedicated over the last two decades of my career to this program because Job Corps changes lives and our team is the driving force behind the countless success stories.” said the local agency has worked with the team in Hawaii and has encouraged Guam youth to attend to consider the Job Corps as an option to find their way after high school Dell’Isola said two high school classes have graduated during the pandemic and a third is coming up This means students are graduating and competing with more seasoned and experienced people who’ve been laid off or furloughed from their pre-COVID-19 jobs and are looking for opportunities He said Guam DOL continues to offer other programs to the island’s youth in partnership with government agencies and private sector entities They’ve partnered with Guam Community College and local employers on boot camps; they offer internship training and summer working programs for high school students “And the Hawaii Job Corps is just a part of that pie of the wrap-around services we are trying to offer,” he said Dell’Isola said the Job Corps offers a number of advantages over local programs including the opportunity to see and experience someplace new removes all the barriers that many young people face when trying to figure out their next step Job Corps students live in dorms on the Job Corps campus so transportation isn’t an issue “If they’re qualified they’re given everything they need to succeed: health care The biggest problem we have with these kids that go through this program is they get homesick.” He said the program also places students in a positive environment where they get coaching and support “They have everything they need to succeed they align with us and we give them the extra help they need,” he said "It’s a great program and a great opportunity for those willing to take the step.” Hawaii Job Corps Center business community and outreach manager said the Job Corps program uses an online career planning system called My Pathway to Achieving Career Excellence that helps students take ownership of their future by setting and tracking their own career pathway plan a team of career specialists helps prepare graduates to secure employment and join the military or an apprenticeship program They also provide job retention support for 12 months after graduation The Waimanalo site on Oahu can accommodate 211 young adults and the Maui site can accommodate 128 The year-round program enrolls new students monthly and applications are accepted throughout the year “COVID-19 did impact the program initially,” she said We have returned to in-person training and are actively accepting new applications.” Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: A local mother worries for her son who is a sailor on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and she says hateful comments about the ship have hit close to home for her Kristina Gschwend followed the news about COVID-19 cases aboard the Roosevelt very closely - her son Jose Luis is a sailor on the ship she says she heard three sailors tested positive "I started to really worry yesterday he called me - telephone call - and said they're on their way back They will be quarantined here at Naval Base Guam So basically he is not here," she told KUAM News Gschwend said she has been hurt by social media and real life comments about the Roosevelt coming to Guam More than 20 sailors on the ship are from Guam "One stupid idiot said they 'Hope they die' That's my son that you just wished that on Remember that they are children of this island on that ship because they're hurtful.  Keep them in your prayers," she pleaded dirty comments and I'm just like how can you be so hateful?  They protect us She said she has mixed emotions about the rapidly-evolving situation "I understand where people are coming from...they're fear these guys need to go somewhere," said the parent their quarantine is we're locking you in a room and you're not coming out until the 14 days is done We'll check your temperature and we'll make sure you're feeling well we're going to house you in another place where you're isolated." Gschwend said it wasn't said whether sailors would be quarantined on the carrier or on Naval Base Guam but Pentagon officials have aid in national media reports the sailors will not be allowed to leave pier-side We asked her if she is worried about her son contracting COVID-19 since it could easily be spread in the close confines of an aircraft carrier "I'm worried as a mother would be but I'm confident that he is healthy and even if he did test positive Dr Agi Brandt-Talbot and Dr Florence Gschwend of Chrysalix Technologies Scientific American names Imperial spin-out Chrysalix Technologies a “world-changing technology” Each year a steering group of leading technology experts is engaged by Scientific American to identify significant emerging technologies. This year Chrysalix Technologies was named as a major disrupter in the field of bioplastics for their work on separating plant components to develop more sustainable plastics using waste materials Founded in 2017 by Dr Florence Gschwend and Professor Jason Hallett from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr Agi Brandt-Talbot from the Department of Chemistry Chrysalix Technologies are trailblazers in the movement to tackle society’s over-reliance on oil-derived plastic and the resulting damage to our environment and health Their goal is to support sustainability and move away from a reliance on using crude oil in single-use products which are discarded at the end of their lives by enabling a “circular” bio-economy in which plastic are made from waste plant matter and can more easily be recycled and reused Cellulose and lignin are key to this transformation They are found in a range of non-food plants and already used in several applications including the production of paper Their strength and structure give plants their shape and it’s for this reason they are useful as an alternative “plastic material” the processes currently used to isolate them are expensive Dr Agi Brandt-Talbot explained: "Access to low cost high quality lignin and cellulose is a key bottleneck for the sustainable biobased chemical industry but our technology has the potential to fundamentally change this." Chrysalix has developed a low-cost ionic liquid which is used to separate cellulose and lignin from biomaterials such as wood to address this issue and enable the production of bioplastics on a larger scale Professor Jason Hallett commented: "Our aim has always been to make a difference in the world and to realise impacts from our research through translation – this is the only way to make inroads toward defeating persistent environmental problems like plastic pollution and metal contamination. We’re very excited to be recognised by such a widely-read science magazine and having our work highlighted to the general scientific community like this is both humbling and motivating." Dr Florence Gschwend added: "Being named as a world-changing technology by such a prestigious science magazine is a great honour We strive for actual benefits for all of society and spreading the word about the many potential solutions to our environmental problems to the wider public is pivotal." You can find out more about Chrysalix Technologies on their website Photos and graphics subject to third party copyright used with permission or © Imperial College London.