Konstantin Novoselov, a professor at the National University of Singapore and inventor of graphene, called for a step beyond the circular economy, which is only possible through the development of new technologies and materials that can produce ever larger amounts of new waste at the end of the cycle.
The Nobel Prize-winning physicist acknowledged that while new technologies solve many problems, citing as examples improvements in the efficiency of lithium batteries and solar cells that help in the fight for sustainability, “there is still this slap in the face, where you create something.” a solution and that solution strikes back.”
The industry needs to consider how new materials are recycled across the ecosystem, he emphasized.
“Unfortunately, the only thing is constantly being broken by new technologies. We must invent innovative solutions to escape this closed-loop race. The circular economy is no longer enough, we must move to spiral economies.”
In a spiral economy, a material or product is reused for as long as possible before being converted into energy, while a circular economy does not include the final step.
Novoselov cited as an example the addition of nanomaterials to concrete, one of the largest CO2-emitting industries in the world. Adding less than 0.5 percent graphene to the mix could increase strength by 30 to 70 percent. “You add a small amount of this product … and reduce the amount of concrete you have to produce by up to half.”
He said it was a great time to be living in such a renaissance of science, with advances in genome sequencing, quantum supremacy and generative AI.
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