43. RSC Sustainability Symposium, Burlington House, 6 October 2023

I was invited to a symposium organised by the RSC (for cultured readers not the Royal Shakespeare Company but the Royal Society of Chemistry), putting sustainable technologies and finding cleaner chemical solutions front and centre of thinking and action.  You may like the “Secret life of Champagne” presented by a past RSC President above; it was more interesting than a picture of Burlington House.

Participants came from a range of backgrounds including industry, regulators and universities.  The presentations were truly international, reflecting the need to address sustainability globally:

·         The Role of Agricultural Wastes for Bioenergy in a Circular Economy - Sugarcane waste as a biofuel.  Issues included the loss of nutrients and the efficiency of energy conversion.

·         Using simple organic carbon molecules for low temperature hydrogen evolution and homogeneous catalysis – this included the use of organometallic catalysts.  Comparison was made between using surplus electricity to produce hydrogen precursors versus the use of batteries.

·         How to make energy storage more circular

·         Green Materials from Ocean Biomass – natural biodegradable materials

·         Tuned CO₂ and H adsorption for enhanced electrochemical CO₂ reduction.  This generated a discussion on the economical, energy and environmental sense of carbon capture and storage.  The consensus was that the enthusiasm shown by governments did not match reality.

·         Towards a sustainable future: water-based early warning systems for environmental and public health protection.  This was a fascinating presentation on the use of waste water analysis to determine the health and drug use of towns and cities.

·         Renewable chemicals and materials from sustainable biomass

We heard how the chemical sector has responded to sustainability issues over the past centuries and the work being undertaken globally now, especially by the RSC.  It was frustrating (having to duplicate work in the UK, previously undertaken across the EU) and encouraging (tackling ozone depleting and “forever” chemicals).

The parallels between tackling sustainability and the symposium were strong:

·         The science is generally very good but sometimes people cannot hear (or do not want to listen)

·         Scientists are generally good at talking to themselves and fellow experts but not so good in communicating technical subjects to the public, politicians or press in succinct, simple language

·         Time is tight to take action but we spend too much time talking and deferring decisions and actions because we cannot afford the money or time to do so.  Unfortunately this increases the costs and problems for our successors.

I had to smile.  This symposium was held in a convenient central London transport hub using low carbon technologies including going paper free.  The lunch sandwiches had had their crusts cut off to make them uniform rectangles.  Looked good but I wondered about food waste.

A very useful and interesting day.  Congratulations to Tom Welton, Imperial College London, and the RSC for the organisation of the Symposium.  It is time for an Intergovernmental Panel for Chemicals, Waste and the Prevention of Pollution.