The Sustainability Collider serves as a platform for dialogue between EPFL research labs, startups, and industries involved in the production of sustainable materials or their transformation into circular products.
Confronting Challenges in Materials Innovation and Circularity for Industries
Program of November 25, 2024
• Prof. Tiffany Abitbol, Sustainable Materials Laboratory
13:10 – 13:20 | Sustainability in research at EPFL
• Prof. Gisou van der Goot, Vice President for Responsible Transformation, EPFL
13:20 – 13:30 | EPFL and its innovation ecosystem (PDF, 0.7 MB)
• Dr. Ursula Oesterle, Vice President for Innovation, EPFL
13:30 – 13:55 | Short presentations (10’ EPFL, 10’ Industry, 5’ Startup)
• Dr. Simonetta Rima, Global Head Bio-based Solutions, SULZER
• Prof. Francesco Stellacci, Supramolecular Nano-Materials and Interfaces Laboratory: Nature Inspired Circular Recycling (PDF, 3 MB)
• Dr. Philip Scholten, Chief Innovation Officer, Bloom Biorenewables
13:55 – 14:10 | Panel discussion
• Moderator: Dr. Pascale Van Landuyt, Alliance Program Director, Industry Liaison Office
14:10 – 14:45 | Short presentations (10’ EPFL, 2×10’ Industry, 2×5’ Startups)
• Dr. Sergio Barbarino, Senior Director, Fabric & Home Care Open Innovation, P&G
• Pierre Gérard, Technical Director Elium Program, Arkema
• Prof. Véronique Michaud, Head of the Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites: Circular composites? (PDF, 1.5 MB)
• Dr. Pascal Gallo, CSO & Co-founder, Composite Recycling
• Rajiv Singhal, Founder & CEO, Grensol
14:45 – 15:00 | Panel discussion
• Moderator: Dr. Martyn Wakeman, Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites, EPFL
15:00 – 15:30 | COFFEE BREAK – STARTUPS EXHIBITION & POSTERS PRESENTATION
15:30 – 16:00 | Short presentations (10’ EPFL, 10’ Industry, 2×5’ Startup)
• Dr. Olivier Enger, Technology Scouting & Incubation, BASF
• Prof. François Maréchal, Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering Group, EPFL Valais: Integrating technology innovation in sustainable production processes & systems (PDF, 3.2 MB)
• Dr. Markus Aicheler, CEO & Co-founder, SolidWatts
• Dr. Amin Kaboli, Chief Product Officer, Lagrange.ai
16:00 – 16:15 | Panel discussion
• Moderator: Prof. Manuele Margni, Institute of Sustainable Energy, HES-SO Valais
16:15 – 16:25 | Introductions by Canton de Vaud (SPEI)
16:25 – 16:35 | Keynote presentation by Tech4Regen: adapting industries to the regenerative economy; why and how?
16:35 – 16:50 | CIRCULAR & INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS: presentations by Logitech and Startups
16:50 – 17:05 | ENERGY & CARBON REDUCTION: presentations by Romande Energie and Startups
17:05 – 17:20 | BIODIVERSITY & AGRICULTURE: presentations by Fondation Valery and Startups
17:20 – 17:45 | 2024 prizes, Tech4Regen 2025 focus areas, and call for applications
POSTERS
P1 – Materials from fungal mycelium
Sustainable Materials Laboratory
P2 – Packaging materials: Exploring the versatile properties of soy waste okara
Sustainable Materials Laboratory & Supramolecular Nano-Materials and Interfaces Laboratory
P3 – Sustainable composites for structural applications
Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites
P4 – Reimagining Chemical Manufacturing: High-Value Chemical Products from Biomass
Laboratory of Organometallic and Medicinal Chemistry
P5 – Simplifying the production of polymers from plants
Laboratory of Sustainable and Catalytic Processing
P6 – Stimuli-responsive nanofertilizer for a sustainable agriculture
Polymers Laboratory
P7 – Glyoxylic Acid (GA)-Lignin Barrier Coatings for Paper-Based Food Packaging Applications
Polymers Laboratory
P8 – The role of process integration in the decarbonization of aluminium industry and the urban district heating
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P9 – Renewable energy integration and waste heat valorization in aluminum remelting for co-producing kerosene and methanol
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P10 – A web-based decision support tool for the design and integration of industrial high-temperature heat pumps
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P11 – Sustainable Biofuels Via Biomass Gasification Towards Fossil-Free Aluminium Production
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P12 – Integration of renewable energy and reversible solid oxide cells towards decarbonizing the secondary aluminium production and urban systems
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P13 – Integration of Life Cycle Impact Assessment in Energy System Modelling
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
P14 – Continuing education program: process engineering for the decarbonization of the Swiss industry
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering
STARTUPS
CIRCULAR ECONOMY & INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES
S1 – Grensol
Recycling what is usually incinerated and landfilled
S2 – Composite Recycling
Recycle composite material waste into saleable products
S3 -SolidWatts
Advanced microwave and radio frequency heating for industrial processes, replacing fossil fuels
S4 – LaGrange.ai
Leverage AI for resilient & sustainable supply chain networks
REGENERATIVE SOURCING & AGRICULTURE
S5 – GaiaTech
Extracts useful bio-compounds from agricultural waste and resell them to the cosmetics and food industries
S6 – Biomede
Maps pollutants in soils and naturally remove them using plants so-called hyperaccumulation to regenerate soils
S7 – Databaum
AI-based disease prediction tool helping farmers to secure yields, harvest quality and save on pesticides
BIODIVERSITY & BIOLOGICAL CARBON CAPTURE
S8 – Synature
Bioacoustics technology and AI to improve biodiversity monitoring and aid conservation projects
S9 – Space4Good
Unlock, accelerate and scale nature protection and regeneration through reliable earth observation insights
S10 – Open Forest Protocol
Blockchain-based platform democratizing carbon credit markets for forest projects globally, ensuring transparency and integrity
S11 – Inverto Earth
Helps businesses to become nature positive by restoring coastlines by leveraging innovative robotics and AI
CARBON-FREE RENEWABLE ENERGY
S12 – Neology
Revolutionizing Hydrogen Supply with decentralized and clean Ammonia Cracking
S13 – Voltiris
Combine high-tech glass greenhouses surfaces with renewable energy production
S14 – SoHHytec
Co-generation systems for the cost-effective onsite generation of renewable fuel (hydrogen +oxygen) and Power (electricity+ heat)
S15 – Planeto
Digitalise the design of district heating and cooling (DHC) networks, using machine learning to accelerate the energy transition
S16 – Emissium
Tracks, benchmarks, monitors and reduces electricity emissions
S17 – Swistor
Eco-friendly, ultra-fast charging devices combining high energy storage with high-power delivery