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Science is full of accidental discoveries – the story of Ángel is no exception. He walked into groundbreaking knowledge, but arguably more so, he found out a lot about himself. “It’s great to do a PhD to get to know yourself better. Luckily, I got the room to do so. My supervisors would not let me know if I drove off the road, only if I would get close to the cliff.”
The person behind the science, and the science behind the person.
Working with the big three – that’s quite the promise for a PhD project. But that’s the work Ángel Estévez Alonso took up. The big three being major names in the field of PHA bioplastic – Alan Werker, Robbert Kleerebezem and Mark van Loosdrecht. ‘I did my Erasmus MSc at the time in Delft, and I saw this opportunity come up. Though I’m a chemical engineer by training, I did already do some more biotechnological work. I wanted to explore it further, so going this way was an easy choice.”
However, working on bioplastic production wasn’t going to be easy research. Being one of the two PhD candidates that started out with the investigations, it took almost a year to build all the necessary infrastructure for PHA research at Wetsus. And when COVID hit, lab work was not getting any easier. But it never bothered Ángel: “It took a year before the machine for PHA determination arrived, which I spent studying what’s known. Then we did some experiments in parallel, and when COVID came, luckily I was ready to write. It turned out to be the perfect planning.”
But his major find, altering the course of his PhD, happened spontaneously. “While working with a student, we accidentally discovered a way to get three times more PHA out of the process. Usually, we use potassium hydroxide in the feeding of the bacteria that we would extract PHA from. But it was not available that day. And so, since it was an initial experiment to train one of the MSc students that have worked with me, I suggested we just use calcium hydroxide instead. It didn’t dissolve well, but we still went for it.
And to everyone’s surprise, the bacteria consumed two times more feedstock and produced three times more PHa! It was a fantastic finding. We tried all sorts of other hydroxides to see if something would work even better, without positive results.” The scientists had already stumbled upon the golden hydroxide.
“We spent much more time figuring out why it worked so well, but we have yet to understand it. We have our suspicions and we are getting closer to identify the role of calcium, but nobody knows still.”
Freedom to go on this tangent and others is something Ángel valued in his PhD. “With my Wetsus supervisor Alan often being in Sweden and Robbert and Mark in Delft, I quickly learned to be independent in my research. I am glad that I got to focus on where I saw opportunities and possibilities. My supervisors allowed me to drive off the road, but they would have told me if I got too close to the cliff. A
“And at the same time, connecting with people was vital to my PhD. With different people going out for dinners, having just a walk, climbing or playing and watching other sports was the cherry on the top. Every little bit helped me to discover better my topic and myself.”
Abstract
The realisation of a circular economy has thus far unfolded under the assumption that it would fit within existing economic arrangements. In practice, we witness many circular initiatives struggling to give shape to their ambitions, let alone develop to maturity. These past months, various material recycling organisations terminated their activities, seeing virgin alternatives from other parts of the world flooding the market at prices against they cannot compete. If the transition towards a circular economy (i.e. an economy of value preservation) is to be taken seriously, a new perspective on value in our economic system seems unavoidable, as the rewriting of the rules of the economic game. At this moment, current perceptions of value stand in the way of this transition both at micro as well as macro levels. Several contours for a collective exploration of new directions of value and economic configuration that foster circular transition will be addressed.
Abstract
In his key note he will conclude after a life of innovations that it is impossible that humanity will stay within the save planetary boundaries with innovation only. We should be more critical about the behaviour of the rich population in the world and more critical about new innovations that prove to be dangerous, like the PFAS crisis shows at this moment. In his keynote he will investigate how to look at the world that can stay within the save planetary boundaries, how should we change ourselves? It is clear if we only talk about the words of science and systems we miss the essential words of how we should cooperate and change ourselves. And his search for coherent save innovations. Which innovations will be save and will lead to a fair and sustainable world? And will lead to a world we want to live in.
Abstract
There is a growing number of new sustainable, inclusive, cohesive, participatory, just and humane economic models. A possible next step in the discourse about them is the comparative analysis in order to find out key commonalities, potential synergies, and “requirements” for a future-fit economic model. The author and initiator of the Economy for the Common Good provides an overview of these „new sustainable economic models“ and compares them according to underlying values, principles, and practical ways of implementation. The keynote addresses the cooperative spirit of the conference and prepares the ground for its public highlight on the eve of June 3rd, the round table with representatives of diverse future-fit economic models.
Abstract
The scientific debate on whether economies should always continue to grow increasingly becomes a political and societal debate. On the one hand further growth for the most affluent countries seems neither possible nor valuable, but on the other hand there is still lack of understanding and knowledge what a non-growing economy should look like and could best be governed. In this lecture we discuss various policy measures that can be realistically implemented, take into account government finances and aim at a higher quality of life despite a non-growing economy.
Abstract
Democracy is under pressure, and less and less able to stir the economy into a sustainable direction. Therefore, to stabilize democracy and to make possible the socio-ecological transformation of the economy, democratic principles need to be implemented directly in the economy. This is not only a matter of morality, but also has practical advantages. Democratizing the economy can increase legitimacy and take advantage of the “knowledge of the many” to accelerate the transformation. Democratic practices, especially deliberation, allow bringing together different forms of knowledge, which is crucial for the local implementation of principles of social and ecological sustainability. This talk explores what this idea means in more concrete terms, from democratic participation in the workplace to the democratization of time.
Abstract
Over the past decades, markets have conventionally been seen as the best instrument to stimulate economic growth and enhance prosperity and well-being. The automatic link between markets and economic growth is increasingly questioned, however, as well as the automatic link between economic growth and enhancement of well-being. This has led to attempts to capture well-being development more directly than through GDP per capita figures and has produced a more variegated picture of well-being growth. Also, this has led to a shift of focus to other coordination systems than the market, as primarily the state but increasingly also the association. Analyses of the historical record suggest that especially the latter could be a vital component in future well-being.
