Green chemistry, as the cutting-edge science and technology, is crucial for human sustainable development and addressing climate change. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. As one of the official celebration activities, the 5th French-Chinese Conference on Green Chemistry (2024-FC2GChem) opened on 23 November at the Putuo Campus of ECNU.
With the theme of “Better Chemistry for a Better Life”, the conference aims to propel Sino-French scientific and technological innovation and academic cooperation to a new level. Fifteen academicians from both home and abroad attended this grand event where Prof. B. Feringa, the 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, was specially invited to deliver the opening speech.
During the opening ceremony, Buxing Han, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Co-chair, Xuhong Qian, the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and ECNU President, and Mr. J. Valadou, the Consul General of France in Shanghai, delivered speeches. The opening ceremony was hosted by Prof. Wu Peng, the Chinese Co-chair and a faculty member of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of ECNU.
“The biennial French-Chinese Conference on Green Chemistry demonstrates the deep friendship and close cooperation between our two countries in this field, and will further promote exchanges in the global green chemistry community,” stated President Xuhong Qian in his speech. ECNU holds a long-standing relationship of cooperation with France, which has become one of the important characteristics of its international education.
In 2010, ECNU, in conjunction with the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), signed an agreement to establish the “Joint Research Institute for Science and Society (JoRISS)” at the French Pavilion of the World Expo.
On the foundation of JoRISS in 2011, ECNU joined the International Joint Laboratory for Green Products and Processes established by CNRS at Syensqo in Shanghai as one of the first Chinese institutions of higher education. Effective cooperation was carried out in green chemistry, green carbon science, and sustainable chemical technology, yielding remarkable industry-academia-research outcomes. These efforts have laid a close and solid foundation for the joint hosting of the 2014-FC2GChem in Shanghai.
The FC2GChem has evolved from its inception into an international grand event, embodying the efforts and dedication of numerous scientists. Representatives of Dr. F. Cuevas and Dr. C. Pinel from the CNRS, Prof. A. Giroir-Fendler from the Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Prof. B. Albela from the ENS de Lyon, and Prof. C. D. Bellefon from the Ecole d'Ingénieurs en Chimie et Sciences du Numérique (CPE Lyon) commented in their speeches that the conference has not only propelled research in green chemistry but also fostered environmental protection and sustainable development, accelerated technological exchanges and the pace of research-to-application conversions. Furthermore, it has made positive contributions to addressing the environmental challenges facing humanity. Meanwhile, this grand event has become an important platform for enhancing the friendship between the people of China and France and for building a unique bridge for academic and cultural exchanges.
The conference has deepened the strategic partnerships among research institutions, universities, and refining and chemical enterprises. Yang Jiao, the Chairman of Sinopec Catalyst Co., Ltd., expressed that they would actively engage in the full-chain transformation of scientific and technological achievements “from research projects to industrial applications”, contributing to the green and low-carbon development of the petrochemical industry.
Prof. Ben Feringa, the 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, was specially invited to deliver the opening keynote speech, where he shared his Nobel Prize-winning research on the working principles of molecular switches and motors.
Prof. Mingyuan He, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor of ECNU, presented a report titled “The Role of Water in Green Carbon Science”.
A. Corma, the Fellow of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, Research Director P. Metivier of SYENSQO, Prof. Jihong Yu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. J. Leclaire of the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Prof. Tao Zhang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. V. Ordomskiy of the Université de Lille, Academician G. Bertrand of the Académie des sciences, Prof. Haibo Yang from ECNU, and Prof. F. Jerome of the Université de Poitiers, among others, delivered excellent speeches at the conference.
This conference was jointly hosted by ECNU and SINOPEC Catalyst Co., Ltd., and organized by the State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, and the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of ECNU.
The FC2GChem was initiated by ECNU, the ENS Lyon, CNRS, and internationally renowned multinational companies, aiming to focus on the sustainable development of green chemistry and the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” strategic goals. Held biennially and alternating between ECNU (in 2014 and 2018) and ENS Lyon (in 2016 and 2021), the conference has become a landmark platform for scientific and technological exchanges in green chemistry between China and France.
Source: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering
