Chemical engineer Joop Groen on setting a new standard to reduce fossil feedstock

By: Jessica Merkens

With a family name that means ‘green’ in Dutch, it was maybe written in the stars that Joop Groen would occupy himself with the transition towards a bio-based economy. With a background in chemical engineering and business administration, he likes to combine his knowledge on technology and market mechanisms. He aptly named his company Viride - meaning ‘green’ in Latin. One of the main projects Groen is currently involved in is CIRCUROAD, a large Dutch project on bio-based asphalt.

Going green is a big part of your working life, it’s your company name. What is your personal motivation to have gone on this path as a professional?

“I like being outside. Whether it's cycling, skiing or being on the boat or in the garden. Because it’s close to nature. We shouldn’t drift away too far from it because nature is very old and wise. I believe that’s important. And we have to be careful with it as well. We should not pollute or damage the world around us in ways that are completely unnecessary. That's my motivation.”

You’re a chemical engineer by trade. What role can chemical engineers play in the transition towards a sustainable economy?

“There’s a huge energy transition that we have to make. This also means a raw materials transition. It requires innovations in processes, in materials, in products. Chemical engineering is one of the key competencies for this transition.

When you look at the petrochemical industry, we have been optimising and shaping that whole industry and its value chains for more than 100 years. The system is working pretty well. If we want to change it to bio-based or circular raw materials, it requires significantly different chemical processes. To make the same - or maybe even better - products. So process and chemical engineering both really play an important role in this transition.

I also have an MBA. I like to combine my knowledge on technology with how the market works and what customers want. In an early stage I can see what works and what is less likely to succeed. I always look at the financial economic consequences. Does something really work in the market?”

Do you have an example of a bio-based material that wasn’t very successful in its usage?

“Well, one example that sticks out quite clearly is palm oil. Palm oil is positioned as a bio-based feedstock for renewable diesel. It is quite an effective material as well. So the concept is good. It works. You can make good diesel. And the feedstock grows fairly efficient.

But when the market starts demanding larger quantities, let's say ten percent of all our diesel in Europe becomes bio-based diesel. All of a sudden in the far East, large quantities of palm oil are being produced. Which is of course great for the farmers, they have a business model. But if they cut away forests and replace them for palm oil plantations, then in the end it does not have an overall positive effect on nature. Which was the initial objective.”

So there are multiple factors to consider when looking at bio-based?

“Absolutely. It means that at a very early stage you have to work together with specialists that can create models to judge the risks and chances of success. In general, my belief is that collaboration is essential. We’re dealing with very fundamental transitions. It's not something that one company or organisation can do. It's too complex.

Working together is also fun. You can build on each other's ideas together. I always tell companies - even quite large companies - the smartest people are not working for you. There are more smart people outside your organisation. Together you can make progress much quicker than in the old-fashioned way.

I grew up professionally in an American multinational. At that time, everything was about competition and winning. ‘We have to be quicker and smarter and keep our secrets’. All for the competitive advantage. In today's world that's just not good enough. We have to share to move faster with all this bundled power that we can harness. The organisations and companies that collaborate will be the winners of the future.”

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There’s a huge energy transition that we have to make. This also means a raw materials transition.

Is collaboration essential in making the transition?

“Yes, it is important. For example, take the Stone Age. We stopped using stone as the go-to material for everything. It’s not because the stones ran out, but because we came up with ideas to do it better and smarter. It’s the same with fossil fuel. There's still a lot of fossil resources, so it's not that they're going to end very soon. But there are better ways than to explore fossil resources out of the earth and blow them into our atmosphere. We can work with smarter raw materials and smarter processes. I believe in positive energy and doing things right.”

Does it help to be optimistic in this field of work?

“In my experience yes. Especially when you combine it with a realistic view. One thing that I see going wrong in this field is that there's a lot of mixture between politics and science. It’s risky to selectively pick information that supports your story. You’re painting a picture that’s not accurate. You have to look at all the facts and both sides of the coin.”

Foto: Viride / CIRCUROAD winnaar WOW Juryprijs

One of the projects you’re working on is the CIRCUROAD project, where you’re creating bio-based asphalt. It sounds contradicting.

“Yes, well you could compare it to bio-based plastic, that might also sound contradictory. The component in asphalt that makes it black and makes it stick together is bitumen. It is essential in creating roads. Bitumen is a fraction of fossil oil. If we’re to stop using fossil oil, that means there will no longer be fossil bitumen. So we need a different and better replacement of bitumen.

CIRCUROAD is a big collaboration with all the players in the Dutch road-making value chain, hosted by Rijkswaterstaat. You have the various governments that own the roads, companies that actually build roads, parties who blend the bitumen, raw material suppliers. And knowledge parties, such as universities and R&D organisations. Organisations that want to collaborate, are invited to join.

There are currently twenty-five test strips, most of them with various combinations of bio-based raw materials. None of them are a full replacement for fossil bitumen yet. The oldest one was produced in 2015 by a road builder in the province of Zeeland. They put a test strip right in front of their own asphalt plant and from what I heard that still looks fairly good. It was certainly not a bad start. We worked hard to get to fifty percent replacement but our ambition is to be able to fully replace fossil bitumen.”

What would be the replacement material for the bitumen?

“So there are a number of options, we don’t have the final solution yet. The good thing is that the quantity of bitumen we need is fairly small, about seventy kilotonnes for the Dutch asphalt market. It’s a fairly modest amount you need from nature. We can find it in a sustainable way and make sure that it’s used very well. We’re looking into products from trees, such as tall oil or lignin. And side products from for instance the papermaking industry. There are also various sorts of rubbers in nature that could be interesting.

Especially the ones that are not used for food, so you don’t have to compete with the food market. If you look at the circular streams, there are some very interesting candidates, and there are a lot of initiatives happening. You could think of side streams that come from recycling plastics.

A lot of the asphalt in Dutch roads is already grounded and being reused. That's very positive because it's a circular way of reusing your product. Our new solution has to be compatible with traditional fossil bitumen because I will still be around for tens, maybe hundreds of years. The properties should be equal or better than what we have now.

In the end it's about setting a new standard. One that will have an enormous impact on reducing fossil feedstock use.”

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It means that at a very early stage you have to work together with specialists that can create models to judge the risks and chances of success. In general, my belief is that collaboration is essential.

You said before you're an optimistic person. What are you most optimistic about?

“Hmm.. I think about the people of the future. When I look at the youth I see smart people. By the time they grow up, they will be a lot smarter than us. And the tools that they work with will be a lot better. When you imagine two generations ahead the world will be very different. They will be able to accomplish things around energy, raw materials and nature that we cannot envision. That's why I also believe education is so important. One of the smartest things we can do is to educate the new generation. That’s what I’m most optimistic about.”

Curious about Joop's whole story? Joop Groen (Viride) On green asphalt and bio-based production