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Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

Turning low-grade waste into high-value sustainable materials

Three Amsterdam participants in ABEL consortium funded through the Dutch Research Agenda

7 July 2025

The Catalysis Engineering group at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) led by associate professor Shiju Raveendran is part of the newly established ABEL consortium that aims to convert low-grade waste into valuable, sustainable materials. The consortium, funded with €6.7 million from the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) by the Dutch Research Council NWO, contains two more Amsterdam participants.

Currently, most low-grade organic waste in the Netherlands is incinerated or converted into low-value products. This not only leads to the loss of valuable raw materials but also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. The new consortium called ABEL (Ab-initio Biowaste Loop) seeks to reverse this trend by developing innovative technologies that can upcycle these waste streams into high-performance biomaterials.

Closed-loop recycling of polymers

The consortium led by assistant professor Luis Cutz at TU Delft addresses the urgent need to find renewable carbon sources such as organic waste and recycled materials, to secure the sustainable production of products like fertilizers, plastics and asphalt. It combines knowledge from research institutes, industry, policy and society to strengthen collaboration across the full value chain, from lab to application.

At the UvA-HIMS Catalysis Engineering Group, Shiju Raveendran will lead ABEL research on closed-loop recycling of polymers, and contribute to the processing of low-grade organic waste. He will in particular contribute with knowledge of catalytic solvothermal processing, building on the insights obtained in the European PLASTICE project. The ABEL funding will enable Raveendran to appoint a PhD candidate and a postdoc researcher.

More Amsterdam contributors

Another contributor to ABEL at the University of Amsterdam is Prof. Joyeeta Gupta at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences who will supervise a postdoc researcher in the field of transition governance. Finally, the Amsterdam Green Campus will serve as a cooperation partner in the ABEL consortium.

ABEL consortium participants: Amsterdam Green Campus, ATA Mute BV, Avans University of Applied Sciences, BVOR and DWMA, CIRCUROAD, Delphy BV, Federation Bio-economy Netherlands (FBN), Hanze University of Applied Sciences, NPSP, Nutrient Management Institute NMI BV, Orbia Building & Infrastructure, PerpetualNext, PreZero, University of Groningen, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Wageningen University, Wageningen University & Research

See also