In the Netherlands, many people work passionately with biomass as a raw material. They work on innovations, improve (production) processes or create policy for a fossil-free future. We have had a series of conversations with people who work at companies where bio raw materials are central. In this mini-series we highlight what drives them to work on the transition to a sustainable world. In the seventh episode we have a conversation with Martijn Zieverink, lecturer at MNEXT.
The materials and energy transition represents an enormous challenge, but also an opportunity for positive change. MNEXT, in collaboration with SMEs, plays a crucial role as a bridge between innovation and society. By conducting practice-oriented research with students, teachers and researchers, and by working together on educational innovation, they set the materials and energy transition in motion for a sustainable future.
We spoke with Martijn Zieverink, lecturer for the Biobased Transitions Lectorate at MNEXT about climate, bio-raw materials and his reasons for becoming a Lector at MNEXT to work.
Martijn: “My personal motivations? From the moment I had children, you started thinking more about the future and what I saw and read at the time did not make me happy. At one point I thought, if my children ask me later; Dad, what have you done? In any case, I want to be able to answer that I have also tried to contribute something to a more sustainable world.
Climate change is something that I am personally very concerned about, also because I live in the Netherlands. When I hear on the news again that the glaciers in Greenland are melting even faster than expected, I wonder whether my grandchildren can still live here. That's why I do this job and not something else.
I started studying chemical engineering in Delft, the technology part appealed to me. In the early 90s I was not concerned with climate change at all.
After receiving my PhD, my first job was at the world's largest palm oil producer in Malaysia. They are not really known for sustainability. In my opinion, they were leaders in sustainable cultivation methods.
That was when I first came into contact with sustainability requirements. At a certain point, biodiesel had to be mixed into diesel. Afterwards, biodiesel factories sprang up like mushrooms in Europe and were partly fueled with palm oil.
After Europe realized that a lot of forest was being cut down to meet the demand for palm oil, the standard was reversed. During that time I became aware that if a knob is turned on one side, it has consequences on the other side.
Then I ended up at the chemical company Avantium in Amsterdam. They conduct research for customers and develop new catalysts. Avantium is now building a factory in Delfzijl for the production of plant-based plastic (PEF).
Avantium has a broad customer base, from very large companies to startups. In the 8 years I worked there I saw many startups that needed a catalyst to create a 'green' product. That was actually a moment for me when I became aware that something was going on. If those companies are so concerned with the environment, there is certainly a reason and apparently there is money to be made from it
I found the startup concept very interesting and wanted to work at a startup. I came across PeelPioneers in Den Bosch. They were looking for an R&D manager, that is something that suits me. The company was still very small at the time, I was employee number 7. We grew like crazy to about 50 people,
PeelPioneers makes new products from orange peels. They extract natural ingredients from the peel that are used in food, cosmetics and cleaning products. We no longer call the peels waste, formally it is now a residual flow that we convert back into high-quality products.
I already had contact with MNEXT through PeelPioneers, because we did various projects together with Avans University of Applied Sciences. When a vacancy arose for a Lecturer at MNEXT, I initially thought that this came too soon. Yet I didn't want to wait for the perfect moment for myself. I still work at PeelPioneers 1 day a week, because I think what they do is important and I feel involved.
The great thing about the position at MNEXT is the link with education. Young people working on the future. As a lecturer you are expected to conduct research. While fundamental research is conducted at universities, in higher professional education it is mainly practice-oriented with the aim of helping SMEs with their issues. The urgency is often higher at an SME than at a large company. The resources run out faster and they feel the pressure that something has to be achieved, because they also want to earn their money in the coming year.
Students who study at Avans University of Applied Sciences can do an internship with us. They end up in research groups and, together with our lecturers, investigate the cases submitted to us by the business community.
Every year, approximately 16 gigatons of fossil raw materials are extracted worldwide, of which only an eighth is converted into materials. The remainder is used for energy generation, leading to alarming emissions of approximately 34 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This reality has far-reaching consequences for the climate and our planet.
In the long term, we must stop using fossil fuels. Imagine if we could achieve that by making extensive use of green energy. Then the entire flow of fossil fuels comes to a standstill, because approximately 90% of all fossil raw materials are used for energy and around 10% goes to materials. And that 10% for materials is still quite a mountain. So suppose we manage to solve our energy problem in a magical way tomorrow, then we will immediately have a gigantic material problem.
So there must be alternatives for this, we must switch to organic. There is a thought that assumes that we can ultimately count on 50% recycling and 25% from CO2. Then there is still a lot left that must come from biobased. These will mainly be residual flows, things that we already have. Pruning waste, waste released during grain production, there is just a lot, I think millions of tons of residual flows that you can use. You can also grow or produce certain sugar-rich crops in a very targeted manner and use them. There is a very wide range of biomass, waste, residual flows, but also targeted production crops such as sugar beet.
You also get the discussion; where do you get that biomass from? If you plant it you get use of land. Is that suitable for food or production?
I sometimes show a calculation to stimulate… About half of the surface of the Netherlands is agricultural land. Suppose you fill all agricultural land with sugar beets and convert the sugar that comes from there into ethanol for energy, then that still only covers 10% of the energy needs of the Netherlands. You can make similar calculations for materials such as plastics: it is not easy.
This is not a policy proposal of course, this is an experimental idea. I just want to indicate that it is quite a job to make the transition. That is why I enjoy working together with students, the other lecturers at MNEXT and the business community from idea to concrete sustainable processes and products”
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