VITO Vision september 2022
Cover story: Enzymes help chemical industry to become greener
To reduce its environmental and climate impact and also to have a more efficient, economic and safe production, the European chemical industry must reinvent itself. One way of doing this is to switch to new process technologies. The enzymatic route is a promising track, in which biological catalysts are used in the production of chemicals for, among others, the pharmaceutical, food, agro and cosmetics industries. Within the European INCITE project, VITO works together with chemical company Oleon on the route to industrial applications.
We visited Oleon, watch the video report below.
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All articles in the VITO Vision of September 2022
Distribution grid as an enabler for the energy transition
Fluvius and VITO/EnergyVille have been joining forces since 2017 to get a better view of the status of the low-voltage grid. After all, this is being put to the test more and more due to the advance of electrification. With a thorough knowledge of the limitations, as well as the possibilities, the grid needs to be prepared for the future. Picture: copyright Fluvius
How do you make a business park water resilient?
The Flanders WaterProof process demonstrates how we can better arm our region against drought and other consequences of climate change, such as extreme precipitation. This will take place in three local, but large-scale 'demo areas'. One of these is a business park in Tielt, West Flanders. This site is being made waterproof with eight specific actions that provide a benefit from water. The intention is to replicate these water benefits elsewhere in Flanders later on.
Clean Vision Invest boosts innovative spin-offs
VITO's core task is to develop sustainable technologies and prepare them for implementation. We only need to follow current events to realise more than ever that sustainable technologies are the future. But there is a long way to go before a good, innovative idea can evolve into a profitable end product with an impact on sustainability. With the Clean Vision Invest (CVI) fund, VITO is aiming to give new spin-offs the financial support they need in their first few years (early stage) to grow quickly.
A sustainability passport for business locations
Businesses are making more and more of an effort to make themselves sustainable, and ideally they will also take account of their offices and the areas around them in doing so. VITO has set up a new service offering to support them in this. By using a diverse range of data sources, the potential of a business location can be identified in broad and accurate terms, tailored to the company itself.
Unique test lab for more sustainable concrete
The production of concrete, largely through the manufacture of cement, is responsible for 5 to 8 percent of global greenhouse emissions. In order to bring these immense emissions down, there is an urgent need for new concrete mixes based on alternative raw materials. These could be recovered (‘secondary’) minerals from waste streams, for example. VITO now has a versatile, state-of-the-art lab for testing these alternative concrete mixes since late 2021.
Corona, a new chapter in the story of indoor air quality
During the corona pandemic, a method was developed at VITO for directly detecting viruses like SARS-CoV-2 in an air sample. It is being used in a range of projects to determine the infection risks in indoor spaces where there are many people together. The virus detection method is the next step for VITO in better understanding, predicting and improving indoor air quality – not just for viruses, but also for other pollutants such as chemical substances, moulds and bacteria.
Flax cultivation also benefits from precision agriculture
Monitoring based on satellite imagery can also help flax growers to manage their plots, which are often very far spread. The existing WatchITgrow platform is being used and further expanded for the Flaxsense 2.0 project. This will allow flax growers to monitor their plots remotely. VITO is also involved in the expansion of the platform for flax cultivation. This project can count on great enthusiasm among Belgian flax growers. ‘A young generation that’s totally open to digital tools is ready.’
Streamlining energy savings among European countries
Europe wishes to see a sharp rise in its energy efficiency by 2030. Member States must accordingly introduce energy-saving measures. But they also need to calculate these and report them to the European Commission. However, that is easier said than done. The streamSAVE project, in which calculation methods from ten participating Member States are exchanged and streamlined, helps in this. This project, coordinated by VITO, is also creating a lively European community around energy efficiency.
VITO employee in the spotlight: Lisa Damen
Lisa Damen (31) already knew during her student days that she wanted to work on sustainability. Today, she measures and quantifies these aspects for buildings and construction materials in the VITO/EnergyVille EPIC team. ‘My work is very diverse, and I do love that variation as you’re constantly learning new things.’ Lisa is very closely involved with VITO after work too, as one of the leading Activito staff.
