The Industrial Science Report: Circular economy and decarbonization drive change in semiconductor, pharma, and energy sectors

U of I researchers identify PFAS waste management pathways for semiconductor manufacturing

Although the U.S. wants to be a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, we have many infrastructure and workforce challenges to overcome. On top of that, as the industry aims to scale quickly, it must also deal with questions of its environmental impact. Wastewater byproducts from the semiconductor manufacturing process are a serious concern because they contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) waste, known as “forever chemicals,” which are under scrutiny in many industries and the focus of new EPA regulations. A typical fab can produce thousands of cubic meters of wastewater “soup” per day, PFAFs mixed with solvents, metals, and salts. Yum!

This research looks at how the semiconductor industry can deal with this waste effectively, namely through three paths—better monitoring, effective separation, and safe destruction. Researchers examined technologies for breaking the chemical bonds of PFAFs. Their extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds require concentrating and separating the PFAFs, then breaking the chemical bonds to destroy them. Plasma discharge and electrochemical oxidation are advanced oxidation and destruction technologies to break down PFAFs. Researchers also considered technologies like membranes, adsorbents, or electrochemical separation to capture and concentrate PFAFs. Many of these technologies were originally developed for municipal water systems but need significant adaptation in order to effectively capture PFAS waste. Semiconductor production is also highly integrated, which adds another layer of complexity to introducing new monitoring and filtering techniques. One of the critical needs for future development in this area, researchers say, is deeper collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers.

A review in Environmental Science & Technology of research by the University of Illinois Grainer College of Engineering outlines pathways for managing PFAS waste generated by the rapidly expanding semiconductor manufacturing sector. PFASs are widely used in chip production for photolithography and etching, but their persistence poses environmental and health concerns, and the review compiles insights from industry, academia, and government experts to address these challenges. Priority areas include better monitoring technology, more effective separation techniques, and safer destruction methods, while helping balance industry growth with environmental safety. 

University of Houston explores electrification and distributed manufacturing pathways toward net-zero for heavy industry

“Heavy” industry gets its name from its use of complex, energy-intensive machinery for large-scale manufacturing and processing. It is notoriously unkind to the environment. While many individual companies have acknowledged climate change or emissions-reductions goals for the future, we still lack industry-wide, government-supported direction. For now, lone researchers are paving the way with new science to help industry, when it’s ready to fully commit to the energy transition.

This research from the University of Houston is focused on high-temperature processes such as propane dehydrogenation that could shift from fossil–fueled heat to radio frequency (RF) electrification. For manufacturers, however, there is a big tradeoff to consider with the scale of heavy industry. It might not be as cost-effective for large centralized plants to convert to a renewable electricity source, as it would be for smaller facilities, which could function more effectively as distributed modular units. For maintenance teams, that could mean developing expertise in power electronics, RF systems, and distributed asset strategies, rather than focusing solely on traditional combustion equipment.

University of Houston Energy researchers, led by Debalina Sengupta, analyzed how electrification and distributed modular manufacturing can help heavy industry processes like propane dehydrogenation (PDH) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and progress toward net-zero goals. The study compares traditional centralized fossil-fuel-heated plants with electrified facilities powered by renewable electricity, showing potential reductions in global warming potential and operational risks. Key advantages of distributed electrification include lower capital risk, reduced logistics costs, and enhanced adaptability to demand fluctuations. Funded partly by the U.S. National Science Foundation, this work offers data-backed insights for industry leaders seeking decarbonization strategies and cleaner manufacturing pathways. 

Japanese researchers want to turn waste into fuels and chemicals through biomanufacturing

What is one industry’s trash could be another’s treasure. Researchers at Kobe University in Japan want to convert biomass and agricultural waste into biofuels, chemicals, and other raw materials. Biomass is organic, renewable materials originating from living organisms, and agricultural waste such palm oil wastewater is plentiful from palm plantations in Indonesia. Biorefineries can use microorganisms to turn low-value waste streams into fuels, chemicals, and raw materials. With palm kernel shells, strained lees of sugarcane, or grass and trees, the process can create new manufacturing value from biomass that would otherwise be discarded.

By focusing on materials that avoid the costly saccharification step, or the breaking down of complex carbohydrates, which is required for cellulose-rich wastes like shells, grasses, and wood, the researchers highlight a more practical route to commercialization in regions rich with agricultural byproducts. Researchers are also studying sorghum, a type of millet, to be harvested as an energy crop. It grows quickly and doesn’t compete with other crops and could be used as a sustainable aviation fuel.

The research noted that interest in converting biomass depends heavily on the price of crude oil. When oil goes up, interest in chemical manufacturing using biomass goes up. When oil prices crash, interest wanes. For manufacturers, especially those in energy, chemicals, and food processing, future competitiveness may depend on how well operations recover waste, adapt to volatile crude oil prices, and integrate new biological processes into reliable large-scale operations.

Researchers at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Engineering, led by Professor Chiaki Ogino, are advancing biomanufacturing methods to convert biomass and agricultural waste into biofuels, chemicals, and raw materials using microbial processes. Their long-standing Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) project with Indonesian institutions leverages the country’s abundant biomass resources to develop cost-effective, scalable production pathways in a bio-circular economy context. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on petroleum-derived feedstocks and lower greenhouse gas emissions while creating biofuel for agricultural machinery and potentially other industrial applications. Kobe University’s biomanufacturing hub collaborates with partners including the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia and Nagoya University on biomass conversion and energy crop development to enhance sustainable chemical manufacturing. 

Queen Mary University scientists develop bio-based solvents to cut emissions in medicine manufacturing

One of the most critical materials in pharmaceutical manufacturing is also one of its biggest environmental liabilities. Solvents make drug production possible by driving chemical reactions, dissolving and separating compounds, and ensuring purity and quality control. However, their production, use, and disposal account for a significant share of emissions tied to medicine manufacturing. Now researchers at Queen Mary University of London are targeting that footprint by replacing fossil fuel-derived solvents with bio-based alternatives sourced from renewable biomass, aiming for commercial viability in the 2030s.

The core bottleneck is achieving pharma-grade purity and moisture control in bio-based solvents without driving up cost or energy demand. For maintenance and reliability professionals in pharma, this shifting operating reality is about how to keep new systems and processes stable, efficient, and compliant at scale. In practical terms, this is where sustainability meets uptime and where the success of “green chemistry” will depend as much on reliability stability as on molecular design itself.

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London are leading research to reduce the carbon footprint of pharmaceutical manufacturing by developing new bio-based solvents for medicine production. The project focuses on replacing conventional petrochemical solvents with alternatives derived from renewable biological sources while maintaining the performance required for pharmaceutical synthesis and processing. Because solvents are widely used in drug manufacturing, the research could help lower emissions across large portions of pharmaceutical production and improve the sustainability profile of medicine manufacturing. The initiative highlights how greener chemistry tools can be integrated into industrial-scale processes without compromising manufacturing efficiency or product quality. Led by Exactmer, with strategic support from GSK, the British-based consortium also includes Atmospheric AI, Solve Chemistry, OXCCU, Celtic Renewables, University of Leeds, CPI, Croda, and Cytiva. The 36-month project is backed by £7 million from Innovate UK and the Department of Health and Social Care.

UK’s Cardiff University developing new catalysts to turn CO₂ into useful chemicals

Carbon dioxide has long been the enemy of climate change. Many are trying to capture CO₂ and store it deep underground, but this comes with some risk of contamination or even earthquakes. What if scientists could turn carbon dioxide into raw materials? Researchers at Cardiff University think they can by developing catalysts that convert captured CO₂ into fuels and chemical feedstocks, potentially replacing fossil fuel-derived inputs in major industrial processes. Catalysts sit at the heart a large majority of industrial chemical processes. The approach could help chemical and energy manufacturers treat carbon streams from plants as circular feedstocks rather than waste.

Researchers at Cardiff University’s Catalysis Institute, led by Professor Stuart Taylor, are developing innovative catalysts designed to convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals. This research, supported by an EPSRC Open Plus Fellowship, challenges conventional catalyst design by using disordered solid-state precursors to enhance activity and efficiency. Instead of relying on highly ordered crystalline materials, his team will harness disordered solid-state precursors created using advanced techniques such as supercritical antisolvent precipitation, a green, high-pressure technique using supercritical fluids to precipitate fine, high-purity solid particles from a liquid solution. The project involves collaboration with industrial partners including Johnson Matthey, Drochaid Research, and Greenfuels to help transition discoveries toward industrial applicability.