Sustainable chemistry and materials

The Blue Gate Antwerp site, closely linked to the city, the port, the university and the Maritime Campus (MCA), will form the beating heart of innovation in sustainable chemistry. The pre-incubation structure for sustainable chemistry and materials was named BlueApp.  Specifically, BlueApp is a building equipped with labs for those disciplines involved in sustainable (bio)chemical processes for the production, treatment or analysis of (bio)materials, gases and liquids. On the one hand, the focus is on applied research in cooperation with industrial partners, and on the other on the development of products and processes which result in a license or investment agreement. There will also be one permanent research group in the building that will focus on process intensification of the (bio)chemical processes at a TRL level of 3 to 6. Collaboration with other research groups at the University of Antwerp, but also with other (inter)national knowledge institutions will be key.

By establishing BlueApp at the Blue Gate Antwerp site, a unique innovation ecosystem in sustainable chemistry is growing that can help shape the future of both region and society. Hydrogen, for example, is an important link in the sustainable society because it can be injected into mobility applications, chemical processes and the natural gas network. Other examples of innovative and sustainable technologies in which the UAntwerp is at the forefront: new forms of process energy (electro-, plasma- and photocatalysis), in-line detection and measurement technologies, improved processing and recycling of gaseous, liquid and solid waste streams, sustainable and bio-based raw materials, CO2 as an alternative raw material, probiotics, advanced (nano) material characterisation and modelling, ...