Dr Alberto Roldan Martinez and CircularChem team awarded 2025 RSC Horizon Prize
17 July 2025
A team including theme lead for the Net Zero Innovation Institute, Dr Alberto Roldan Martinez, has been awarded the 2025 RSC Horizon Prize for Environment, Sustainability and Energy.
This prestigious prize awarded by Royal Society of Chemistry recognises ground-breaking discoveries or advances made in environment, sustainability and energy. The Horizon Prize highlights exciting, contemporary chemical science at the forefront of research and innovation.
CircularChem is a team of leading researchers from eight UK universities, in collaboration with industrial, government and international partners, having a common goal to transform the UK’s £32 billion chemical industry to holistic sustainable circular economy. Over the past four years, this has been achieved by working on industry-wide solutions that enable efficient recycling and recovery of olefins and their associated feedstocks, reducing the existing linear olefins supply-demand system to a more sustainable model.
We are delighted that the CircularChem team has been awarded recognition by the Royal Society of Chemistry for our pioneering cross-disciplinary research into the circular economy of chemicals. This prestigious honour underscores the strength of collaboration across chemistry, engineering, environmental science, economics, and policy in developing sustainable solutions that address global challenges. This award is a testament to the power of innovation and teamwork in delivering real-world impact, and we are proud to be advancing technologies that will shape a more sustainable chemical industry for future generations.
Since their formation in 2021, CircularChem has delivered extensive insights, tools, and case studies to advance the circular economy in the UK and new methodologies designed to drive circular solutions across industries towards Net Zero in 2050.
The RSC award showcases the achievements of the CircularChem team and demonstrates their excellence in chemical, biochemical and process engineering.
