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.’
Hans Biemans: ‘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.’
Converting waste plastic into chemical building blocks
One of the most significant impacts of Heeres' research is the co-founding of BioBTX, a spin-off from the University of Groningen. BioBTX is dedicated to commercializing technology that converts waste plastic into chemical building blocks. Recently, BioBTX received substantial funding to scaling up the technology developed at lab scale to commercial operation in Delfzijl for converting plastic waste into valuable chemicals, thus moving technology from the lab into industry.
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).
| Last modified: | 04 July 2025 08.00 a.m. |
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