GreenChemForCE (GCF) is a Central European project led by Charles University in Prague, uniting research institutions, industrial partners, and policy-aligned organisations to accelerate the transition toward circular and sustainable chemistry
Co-funded by Interreg Central Europe, the project targets high-impact interventions across chemical value chains, including chemical recycling of plastics, carbon capture and fixation into value-added molecules, and green, sustainable production pathways for pharmaceuticals, textile chemicals, and others.
Consortium composition:
Led by Dr. Lukáš Rýček and Dr. Eliška Matoušová from Charles University, Prague, the consortium comprises nine institutions from four countries, combining academic excellence with industrial scalability.
Czech partners include Charles University, focusing on organic synthesis within the GreenChemForCE project, pharmaceutical producer Zentiva k.s., a manufacturer of generic medicines, and the Chemical Industry Association of the Czech Republic (SCHP ČR), supporting the chemical sector in implementing sustainable practices.
From Slovenia, the consortium includes the University of Ljubljana, with expertise in chemical engineering (such as flow reactor design) and biocatalysis, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS), facilitating collaboration between industry and research.
Austrian partners are the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien), contributing expertise in biocatalysis and sustainable chemical processes, and Vienna Textile Lab (VTL), an SME focused on microbial production of textile dyes.
Hungarian members include Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), applying organic synthesis in pharmaceutical applications, and the Servier Research Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (SRIMC), specialising in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, including lead optimisation and process chemistry.
The consortium also includes nine associated partners, mostly industry players and professional associations, who support technology implementation and market deployment.
Strategic scientific and industrial work areas:
- Chemical recycling of plastics: Researchers are developing selective depolymerization of post-consumer and industrial nylon waste (e.g., fishing nets, carpets) into high-purity caprolactam, a monomer feedstock for polymer resynthesis. The project integrates advanced catalysis and process intensification techniques to maximize yield and energy efficiency while enabling regional market deployment.
- Non-fossil carbon sources: carbon capture and utilisation and biomass component in pharma industry: Teams are investigating approaches for CO₂ fixation in mineral carbonation, cyanobacteria-mediated incorporation into organic molecules, and the use of non-fossil carbon sources in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) intermediates. The approach is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of chemical production while producing value-added chemicals.
- Circularity in pharmaceutical and textile chemistry: This work area focuses on minimizing hazardous solvent use, recycling precious metal catalysts, and integrating green biotechnologies. Techniques under development include mechanochemistry, micellar catalysis in aqueous systems, and enzyme- or microbe-assisted synthesis of APIs and textile dyes, enabling solvent-free or solvent-minimized processes with high atom economy.
GreenChemForCE demonstrates scalable strategies for embedding circularity into industrial chemistry. By coupling advanced chemical engineering, green synthesis, and biotechnological innovation, the project provides actionable solutions that strengthen sustainability, reduce environmental impact, and enhance regional competitiveness in the Central European chemical and pharmaceutical sector.
