Keynote speaker profile

Prof Dr. Gert-Jan Gruter
CTO (Avantium) and Professor Industrial Sustainable Chemistry (UvA)

Keynote track Public Private Collaborations – Lessons learnt in times of pandemic collaboration
How to involve SME’s and address their interests on December 3, 2020

Organization:Avantium and University of Amsterdam
Website:www.avantium.com and research-groups/industrial-sustainable-chemistry/industrial-sustainable-chemistry.html
LinkedIn: nl.linkedin.com/in/gert-jan-gruter-3ba09a3

Speaker bio

Gruter has a background in Polymers (DSM 1993-2000; Professor of Polymer Catalysis at TU/e).  In 2000 he transferred to Avantium. As CTO he initiated technologies to produce FDCA and MEG from carbohydrates and PEF polyester for bottles, fibers and film. Gruter is also working on DAWN biorefining (2G glucose) and electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction as well as downstream monomers (oxalic acid, glycolic acid) and subsequent polyesters.

Gruter holds >100 patens. He was elected “2014 European CTO of the year”. As Professor Industrial Sustainable Chemistry at the UvA, he works on sustainable polyesters, biodegradation and chemical recycling, consumer psychology and ocean plastics.