DECHEMA FORUM – Defossilizing the Process Industry: Creating Competitive Solutions
Welcome to the DECHEMA FORUM – our dynamic new format designed for interaction, inspiration, and networking!
One topic, three days, countless ideas: The DECHEMA FORUM brings together experts from industry, academia, and research to tackle the pressing question – how can the process industries defossilize and stay competitive at the same time?
The toolbox for a sustainable industrial transformation is well-equipped: replacing fossil feedstock with biomass, CO2, or recycled carbon; moving from fossil energy to renewable electricity and hydrogen; increasing resource, energy and water efficiency: exploiting the power of chemical and biotechnological catalysis and improved downstream processes… However, many of these technologies never see the floodlights of an industrial park. The need for large investment, the fit – or lack thereof – into the existing process landscape or challenges during scale-up are obstacles that need to be overcome. How can we introduce novel sustainable technologies on a large scale and still compete with the rest of the world? We have set off on the road towards a sustainable process industry; now we need to use our capabilities to finish the race.
The event offers more than just talks – you can expect keynotes, interactive discussions, workshops, as well as a poster exhibition and an industrial exhibition. Each element is designed to highlight real-world approaches and spark new ideas.
Did you miss DECHEMA FORUM 2024? Catch up on all the highlights in our event report!
Organizing Commitee |
|---|
|
Dr. Carsten Bornhövd |
WACKER Chemie AG, Technologie Scout |
|---|---|
| Dr. Florian Huber | hte GmbH, Head of New Technologies & Incubation and Senior Scientist |
| Dr. Ralph Kleinschmidt | thyssenkrupp Uhde, Head of Technology and Innovation |
| Guido König | Samson AG, Head of Focus Industries Management und Segment Manager Sustainable Industries |
| Dr. Manfred Nagel | Evonik Industries AG, Vice President |
| Dr. Kathrin Rübberdt | DECHEMA e.V., Head of Department Science and Industry |
| Dr. Rüdiger Schneider | Siemens Energy, Head of Chemical Processes |
| Dr. Karsten Schürrle | |
| Ildikó Terebesi | INVITE GmbH, Managing Director |
| Caroline von Wulffen | DECHEMA e.V., Pharma |
|
Dr. Christoph Blöcher |
Covestro Deutschland AG, Head of Infrastructure Processes, Materials & Corrosion |
|---|---|
|
Prof. Hannsjörg Freund |
TU Dortmund, Reaction Engineering and Catalysis |
| Prof. Marcus Grünewald |
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institute for Thermodynamics and Fluid Dynamics |
|
Prof. Dirk Holtmann |
Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), Head of Chair Electrobiotechnology |
| Prof. Norbert Kockmann |
TU Dortmund, Equipment Design |
| Prof. Udo Kragl | University of Rostock |
| Prof. Stephan Schunk | hte GmbH / BASF SE, Executive Expert / Vice President |
| Prof. Ralf Takors | University of Stuttgart, Institut für Bioverfahrenstechnik |
| Prof. Roland Ulber |
TU Kaiserslautern, Chair of Bioprocess Engineering |
| Dr. Bernhard von Vacano |
BASF, Vice President, Executive expert in the field of closed loop Polymer Recycling |
From September 2025 - 15.02.2026: Call for Papers
In May 2026: Programm release and Registration opens
15.-17.9.2026: DECHEMA Forum 2026
| TOPIC | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Catalysis & Reaction Engineering for Defossilization |
Catalytic Processes for Circular Economy, New Possibilities for the Coupling and Integration of Chemical, Chemo-Catalytic and Biotechnological Processes, Data Management and Data based Optimization of Catalysts and Processes, Novel Reactor Concepts, Reaction Engineering and Catalysts for non-thermal Activation of Processes (Photo-, Electro-, Plasma-Catalysis), Scale-up and Reaction Engineering of Catalysts Manufacturing, Catalyst Deactivation |
| Electrification of the Process Industry | Utilization of Electricity in the Process Industry, Electrochemical Processes & Products, Energy Integration and Efficiency (e.g. Heat Pumps, Direct Heating), Energy Storage/Converters |
| CO₂ Capture, conversion and utilization (chemical & biotechnological) |
CCU/CCS, Direct Air Capture, Adsorptive Processes, Membranes and Membrane Processes for Carbon Capture, Biotechnological CO₂ Utilization: Gas Fermentation, Cultivation of algae |
| Integrated Bio-/Chemo-/Catalytic Process Chains | Hybrid Processes, Interface Management, Process Coupling, New Network Structures |
| Feedstock and Raw Material Flexibility | Biogenic Raw Materials, CO₂, Plastic Recycling, Platform Chemicals, Alternative Material Flows |
| Separation Technologies and Downstream Processes | Energy-efficient Separation Processes, Membranes, Hybrid Concepts, Process Intensification, Membrane Reactors, Membranes for Electrolysis/Fuelcells, Desalination by Reverse Osmosis |
| Circular Economy & Chemical Recycling | Material Cycles, Plastic/Battery Recycling, Circular Composites, Remonomerisation, Technologies for Chemical Recycling of Waste Plastics, Sustainable Hydrogen Resources for Defossilisation |
| Digitalization, AI & Automation | Process Synthesis, Data Analysis, ML/AI, Modelling, Predictive Maintenance, Modular Systems, Seamless Data Streams and Connectivity, Flexibilisation in the Process Industry |
| Safety and Scaling of Alternative Processes | Safety in alternative Processes, Successful Scaling, Large-scale Realization, Consideration of Safety Technology in the Planning Stage of Transformation Processes |
| Water in Defossilized Processes | Water as Enabler of new Process Routes, Wastewater Challenges from Bio-based and Chemical Recycling Processes, Resource Recovery from Aqueous Streams, Impact of Transformation on Water Management and Balances |
| System Analysis, LCA & Sustainability Assessment | Life Cycle Assessment, Technological Readiness Level (TRL), Benchmarking of New Technologies |
| Education, Qualification & Innovation in the Transformation | Training for Sustainable Processes, Innovation Policy, Shortage of Skilled Labour, New Learning Formats |
| Bioeconomy, Bio-based products | Biotechnological Production Systems, Special Biotechnological Processes, Biomanufacturing |
| Defossilization of Resource-Intensive Industries | Cement, Steel, Lime Industry: H₂ Utilisation, CO₂ Separation, Industry-specific Solutions, CO2-neutral Production of Basic Chemicals |
The DECHEMA FORUM is supported by VDI.
Image source: iStock 1441126399_Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn
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