Erik Heeres receives RUG Impact Innovator Excellence Award

During the RUG Ventures Innovation Day, Prof. Erik Heeres of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (RUG) was awarded the Impact Innovator Excellence Award. With the award, Heeres is honoured for his longstanding commitment to translating lab-scale innovations into real-world solutions for a circular and green chemical industry. The prize was awarded by UG board member Hans Biemans.

Heeres work focuses on converting biomass and waste agricultural residues into biofuels, chemicals, and materials, with recent advancements in plastic recycling. Biemans: ‘Heeres dedication to sustainable solutions is evident not only in his impressive academic track-record but also in his commitment to technological development and bringing these advancements to society.’

Converting waste plastic into chemical building blocks

One of the most significant impacts of Heeres' research is his contribution to the development of the technology used by BioBTX. The University of Groningen and Heeres’ group have played an important role in generating the foundational knowledge that underpins BioBTX’s process for converting waste plastic into chemical building blocks. The research group remains actively involved in the further development of this technology. Recently, BioBTX received substantial funding to scale up the process from lab to commercial operation in Delfzijl, marking a major step in translating academic innovation into industrial application.

Innovative products from agricultural waste

Heeres is also actively involved in the Innovation Hub Oost Groningen (IHOG), where he participates in initiatives aimed at scaling up innovative products from agricultural waste, which is abundantly available in the region. Examples include the development of industrial hemp panels for building purposes with HempFlax and magnesium-functionalized starch products with AVEBE.

Collaboratively address global challenges

Hans Biemans stated Heeres' contributions exemplify the UG’s ambition as a fifth-generation university, where diverse fields of knowledge are integrated to collaboratively address global challenges: ‘As a broad knowledge institution, the University of Groningen is equipped to structurally collaborate with the world around us, and Erik's work stands as a testament to this vision.’

Erik Heeres is head of the Green Chemical Reaction Engineering group at the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG).