Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability

The use of fossil resources is a controversial topic and there is much scientific research to argue against their use for energy, chemicals, and in the production of almost every product. Because of this, we're seeing a huge shift towards sustainable biobased and renewable resources and away from fossil-based ones. In this new world, it's critical to know how to efficiently and effectively obtain valuable elements from biomass.

Join the MOOC Biorefinery: From Biomass to Building Blocks of Biobased Products and gain the latest academic knowledge on biorefinery which can be applied to their ongoing studies or to advance their careers.

Just as the petrochemical refinery is a crucial part of the fossil-based industry,so is the biorefinery for the biobased industry. In a biorefinery, a complex biobased feedstock is separated and processed in such a way to maximize sustainability and application opportunities. Upon completing this course, you will understand the tools and techniques needed to efficiently disentangle, separate and convert different biomass based feedstocks into simpler (functional) components.

First, you'll learn about available techniques and processes for biomass activation, disentanglement and separation. Next, you'll explore how to design a biorefinery taking into account feedstock and sustainable energy use and dive into:

• Mass and energy balances
• Design of biorefinery process units to obtain multiple products from one type of biomass
• How to recover energy and resources in the biorefinery system
• Evaluation of the designed system with respect to sustainability and economic criteria
• Evaluation of criteria for successful implementation

This course is part of the MicroMasters Program in Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability: a series of 3 courses and a final capstone project designed to help you develop the skills needed to seize opportunities and embrace the transition from a fossil-based economy to a biobased one.It'sespecially valuable to those who have (or ambition to have) a career in industries such as: (bio)chemical industry, agrifood water companies, energy producers, logistics, and related (non-)governmental organizations.

Explore the other courses in the MicroMasters Program:

• Catalytic Conversions for Biobased Chemicals and Products
• From Fossil Resources to Biomass: A Business and Economics Perspective
• Capstone - Final project and exam (only available to learner who have obtained a verified certificate in all other courses of the MicroMasters Program).

Please note: The capstone project is only accessible for ID-verified MicroMasters Program learners who successfully obtained verified certificate in all MicroMasters Program courses

In this capstone project, you will focus on designing a sustainable biobased process. The emphasis of the project is on conversion. You will design a process from biomass to a finished product and discuss your choices for a catalyst, reactor type, organism and feedstock. You should be able to discuss your choices in the broad picture of sustainability while emphasising the conversion aspects of the process.

Complete your MicroMasters credential with the final written report in this capstone project.

You can only start the capstone project after completingall other courses in the MicroMasters Program in Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability with a verified certificate for every course.

• Biorefinery: From Biomass to Building Blocks of Biobased Products; Design an effective biorefinery to obtain valuable components from various biobased feedstocks
• Catalytic Conversions for Biobased Chemicals and Products; Design new (bio)catalytic conversion routes to use biobased feedstocks to their highest potential C
• From Fossil Resources to Biomass: A Business and Economics Perspective; ****Learn how to market and sell biobased products within a profitable business model

Explore how to create a sustainable future by moving away from dependence on fossil to biomass resources for the production of food, chemicals, and energy-carriers. The key is using microorganisms and catalysts to create biobased products. In this course, you will focus on the end of the supply chain - - how to market and sell those products within a profitable business model.

Join the MOOC From Fossil Resources to Biomass: A Business and Economics Perspective if you want to advance your career and get the latest academic knowledge on creating a more sustainable biobased future.

After this course, you will have an improved understanding of other relevant disciplines, and be able to better communicate outside of your own field of expertise in chemistry or technology. You will get a solid foundation of relevant concepts in the biobased economy and biobased products such as:

• An introduction to biobased sciences
• Achieving sustainability
• Consumer behaviour
• Business
• Logistics and supply chains
• Economics and regulations

This course is part of the MicroMasters Program Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability: a series of 3 courses and a final capstone project designed to help you join opportunities and embrace the transition from a fossil-based economy to a biobased economy. It's especially valuable to have (or ambition to have) a career in industries such as: (bio)chemical industry, agrifood water companies, energy producers, logistics, and related (non-)governmental organizations.

Explore the other courses in the MicroMasters Program:

• Biorefinery: From Biomass to Building Blocks of Biobased Products; Design new (bio)catalytic conversion routes to use biobased feedstocks to their highest potential
• Catalytic Conversions for Biobased Chemicals and Products; Design new (bio)catalytic conversion routes to use biobased feedstocks to their highest potential
• Capstone Chemistry and Technology - Final project and exam (only available to learners who have obtained a verified certificate in all other courses of the MicroMasters Program).