Journal

<h2>Workshop on energy storage in Brussels</h2>
Securing the energy supply is intimately linked to the need to generate and store energy in an environmentally appropriate and sustainable manner. Chemistry is a crucial factor for designing a future energy scenario built on innovative technologies and new materials that will both save energy and protect the environment.
In view of this, on 11 February 2014, EuCheMS co-organised together with the Scientific and Technologic Option Assessment (Stoa) of the European Parliament a workshop entitled ”The energy storage challenge: which contribution from chemical sciences?”. The workshop presented the main possibilities to store energy via the chemical sciences: physical devices, such as batteries or super-capacitors, and the storage of energy in chemical bonds to be released at another time and place.
The workshop was attended by more than hundred participants and was also webcasted. It was opened by António Correia de Campos, Member of the European Parliament and Stoa Chairman, and Ulrich Schubert, EuCheMS President, stating that sustainable energy production, transport and storage of energy are creating enormous scientific and technological challenges and that the chemical sciences can play a critical role in solving these issues. A substantial breakthrough is needed for efficient energy storage technologies on both small and large scales in order to balance the intermittent supply, e. g. wind and solar energy, with the variable consumer demand.
The keynote speech was given by Serdar Sariciftci (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria). He stressed that to overcome the large scale energy storage problem it is crucial to develop chemical conversion of renewable energies into artificial, transportable fuels. In this respect, CO2-recycling and methanol can play an important role for a clean energy future.
The panel speakers Gabriele Centi (University of Messina, Italy), Neil Champness (University of Nottingham, UK), Ferdi Schüth (Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung, Germany) and Kristina Edström (Uppsala University, Sweden) presented different aspects of current research, such as artificial photosynthesis, the chemical aspects of hydrogen technology and the different options and materials for energy storage. Fabrice Stassin (Umicore, Belgium) joined in the panel discussion to contribute from an industrial viewpoint.
The workshop was closed by David Cole-Hamilton, EuCheMS President Elect. He highlighted the importance of conversion and storage of solar energy in order to maintain the current standards of living while reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Chemical sciences have an important role to play either in batteries or in high energy compounds.
Sofia Minero, Nineta Majcen
<a href="mailto:nineta.majcen@euchems.eu">nineta.majcen@euchems.eu</a>


<h2>Coming soon: ECC5 in Istanbul</h2>
The 5th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress (ECC5) will be opening in Istanbul in a few months (31 August). Helena Grennberg, chair of the scientific committee, answers questions from the Newsletter team.
What are the most recent developments concerning the scientific programme of ECC5?
The registration opened in December and approximately two third of the keynote speakers have recently been published. The scientific committee and the topic conveners have been active in defining sub-areas for individual sessions and successful in finding excellent keynote speakers: at present we have about 80 confirmed speakers from twenty countries, in addition to eight plenary speakers.
The maximum number of keynotes is 120. We are still in the nomination-selection process and envisage regular updates with additional keynotes and lecture titles, as well as information on the awards that will be given during the congress. At present, I know that Barry Trost of Stanford University, USA will receive the prestigious GDCh August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze award on the opening day, and he will also give a lecture on atom economy challenges.
The confirmed keynote speakers are active in various sub-areas of the topics, as detailed at the congress website. Are regular contributions restricted to these sub-areas?
Not at all, we welcome all contributions.
The registration and abstract submission opened in December, is there already activity?
Yes. A few weeks after opening, more than 50 abstracts were already in the system. That compares well with previous ECC meetings, and the number of participants is significantly higher. From experience, most registrations and abstract submissions take place close to the deadlines; for abstract submission this is 15 May and for early bird rates it is 4 June. We intend to finalise the selection for oral contributions during June and to publish the final programme in July. I recommend those intending to participate to submit and register circa two weeks before the deadline.
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euchems2014.org" target="_blank">www.euchems2014.org</a></ext-link>

Euchems‐Newsletter

Workshop on energy storage in Brussels Securing the energy supply is intimately linked to the need to generate and store energy in an environmentally appropriate and sustainable manner. Chemistry is a crucial factor for designing a future energy scenario built on innovative technologies and new m...

<h2>New presidents of chemical societies in Germany, Belgium and Italy</h2>
Thomas Geelhaar (Merck, Darmstadt) has been elected President of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) and took office on 1 January 2014, following Barbara Albert (Technische Universität Darmstadt). He has been on the Board of the GDCh since 2008 and was treasurer from 2010 to 2013. Geelhaar studied chemistry at the University of Mainz from 1975 to 1981 and received his PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Mainz in 1983. In 1984, he started working in liquid crystal research at Merck in Darmstadt and held since then several leading positions in research, marketing and business development. In 2007 he was appointed as Chief Technology Officer Chemicals and Senior Vice President. In 2012, he became a member of the Editorial Board of Angewandte Chemie.
Claudine Buess-Herman has been elected President of the Société Royale de Chimie (SRC) Belgium. She is full professor of analytical chemistry at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She received her PhD from ULB in 1978 and has directed the Laboratory of Analytical and Interfacial Chemistry of ULB since 1989. Her research interests are in electrochemistry and interfacial chemistry. She has served as division officer of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) and is presently the Belgian National Secretary of ISE. She has been active as an expert for the EU, Nato, International Science Foundation, European Space Agency and several national science foundations in Europe. She chaired the Division of Electrochemistry of Fecs from 2001 till 2008, and was a member of the Executive Committee of Fecs (2006 till 2008) and co-founder in 2006 of EuCheMS.
Raffaele Riccio has been elected President of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI). Since 1994 he has been full professor of organic chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salerno. He started his scientific career at the National Council of Research of Italy after graduation in chemistry in 1973. In 1987 he became associated professor at University of Napoli. At the University of Salerno he has been coordinator of the PhD School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Director of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy. He was President of the Division of Organic Chemistry (2008 till 2010) and Vice-President of SCI (2011 till 2013). His main research interests are the chemical and pharmacological investigation of bioactive natural products and the stereochemical analysis of flexible organic molecules by NMR and computational methods.


<h2>Public consultation on sustainable use of phosphorus</h2>
”The public at large is unaware of the seriousness of the phosphorus problem and so are our politicians”, says EuCheMS in its response to the public consultation on sustainable use of phosphorus. Phosphorus is widely used as phosphate in agriculture and is an essential component in fertiliser and feed, but it is a non-renewable resource. The consultation launched by the European Commission in 2013 asked how to ensure future supply and about ways to minimise the side effects phosphorus use can have on the environment. EuCheMS response to the public consultation is available at <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euchems.eu/publications/policy-positions" target="_blank">www.euchems.eu/publications/policy-positions</a></ext-link>.
Nineta Majcen, <a href="mailto:nineta.majcen@euchems.eu">nineta.majcen@euchems.eu</a>


<h2>General Assembly adopted a new EuCheMS Constitution</h2>
The EuCheMS General Assembly 2013 adopted a new Constitution, for which the approval procedure at the Belgium authorities is currently in progress. Major overhaul of the Constitution was necessitated by the relocation of the EuCheMS office from London to Brussels and the associated necessity to conform governance to Belgium law. Furthermore, ten years of experience with the old Constitution had shown that some sections were impractical.
The most obvious change was the splitting of the old Constitution into two parts: the new Constitution, which was reduced to basic essentials, and the bylaws, which detail the general rules. The advantage of doing so is that only the Constitution and any future changes thereof must be authorised by the Belgium authorities (which is a time-consuming and costly process), while the bylaws can easily be modified or amended by the General Assembly. The most important changes to content are:
· clearer definition of the tasks and obligations of the EuCheMS bodies General Assembly, Executive Board and Presidential Council (president, vice-president and treasurer),
· strengthening the rights and position of the General Assembly,
· opening EuCheMS to new types of members (such as research institutes, governmental bodies, companies, etc.)
· clear and practical voting rules for the General Assembly.
Ulrich Schubert, EuCheMS President
<a href="mailto:secretariat@euchems.eu">secretariat@euchems.eu</a>
Important! Venue change ECC5
The venue of the 5th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress (ECC5, see page 1) will be WOW Istanbul Convention Centre. This is a change from what has been previously announced. The reason is that the UN together with a Turkish Ministry will have a conference in the Congress Center originally booked for ECC5. Since the Ministry has preferential terms, our contract was repealed. WOW Istanbul Convention Centre fulfills the requirements for ECC5, has plentiful hotel accommodation on site and is easily accessible by metro.

Euchems‐Newsletter

Workshop on energy storage in Brussels

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