The impact of membrane engineering in the circular economy

The transformation of matter (feedstocks, ores) and energy has constantly been at the core of human societies. For a long time a very limited number of final products was produced (metals, salts, textiles), with renewable energy as the only possibility (biomass and, to a lesser extent, windmill). With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, a radical transformation occurred, especially thanks to the use of fossil energy (coal first, and oil and gas later on). The so-called Industrial Revolution first took place in the mining and metallurgical sector. It gradually spread all over industrial sectors, with a strong impact on chemical production and transportation, among others. Today, the chemical production system (usually referred to as CPI for Chemical Process Industries) consumes 10% of world oil production, leading to thousands of different molecules, materials, and products. The petrochemical industry remains a key activity, draining all types of applications (agriculture, buildings, health, energy, materials, house care, textiles, transportation, communications, etc.). CPI are considered as playing a central role in today's society, as an "industry of industries." It is important to note that CPI showed a significant evolution of their priorities through the ages. A simplified list of targets by decades has been proposed. With the risk of oil shortage and the increasing threat of global warming, a shift to a circular economy is commonly considered an absolute and urgent necessity.