KAUST is advancing the circular economy — creating revenue from waste streams by continuously repurposing materials and energy in closed-loop systems. Through cutting-edge research and collaborations that drive innovations, researchers focus on resource efficiency, waste minimization and sustainability. 

“Being able to reuse material and energy as many times as possible enhances a sustainable and clean energy transition,” Professor Mani Sarathy, Chemical Engineering, told  the KAUST Research Conference: Optimizing Energy in the Circular Economy, February 17-19. He said a circular economy promotes closed-loop systems where the value of energy and materials is maximized. 

“In this context, we look at things such as carbon capture and utilization, sustainable fuel development, utilization of plastics and other types of waste, as well as using artificial intelligence and machine learning, accelerating adoption of circular principles.” 

Conference co-chair Dr. Janardhanraj Subburaj, research scientist, Physical Science and Engineering, highlighted KAUST’s contributions to reducing environmental footprints in energy systems. He said: “Unlike the traditional linear economy, a circular economy encourages processes such as waste-to-energy, carbon capture and utilization, and waste valorization, ensuring a reduction in environmental impact and reliance on finite resources.” 

At KAUST, he noted, this research strives to understand and simulate combustion chemistry for conventional and alternative fuels to enhance efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions. Clean hydrogen production and utilization are also essential thrusts for this research. 

KAUST’s circular economy contributions include not only optimized waste-to-energy conversion via advanced combustion chemistry, but also converting biomass-based waste into valuable industrial materials and nutrients, as well as investigating CO2 conversion for sustainable fuels and products. The University also minimizes pollutant formation by developing models to predict and reduce emissions, advancing environmental sustainability and resource efficiency. 

Subburaj added: “The circular economy is essential for long-term sustainable growth because it reduces reliance on fossil fuels, minimizes greenhouse-gas emissions and enhances energy security.” 

At the conference, fellow co-chair and research scientist Dr. Saumitra Saxena, Mechanical Engineering, discussed sustainable valorization of plastic and municipal solid waste. Emphasizing the need to manage additives, microplastics and waste within planetary boundaries, he said KAUST’s research and partnership ecosystem offers scalable solutions for plastic waste challenges, aligning science, policy and industry. “These are very exciting times for people like us.” 

Being a sustainability leader 

According to Saxena, KAUST leads in sustainability research, driving innovations that contribute to local, regional and global circular economies. With initiatives such as the Clean Energy Research Platform (CERP), the Centers of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies and Sustainable Food Security, and collaborations with Saudi Aramco, NEOM and international research institutions, the University is advancing waste-to-energy solutions, carbon capture and sustainable fuel development. 

Further, KAUST is optimizing combustion strategies, exploring deep-tech applications in energy, and pioneering technologies to reduce environmental impact and bolster Saudi Vision 2030 goals, Saxena said. “These research efforts directly support the Kingdom’s transition toward a circular and low-carbon economy, ensuring energy efficiency and sustainability in future industrial and transportation sectors.” 

Particularly in fuel combustion chemistry and sustainable energy technologies, CERP is key to KAUST’s role in advancing the circular economy. Dr. Ribhu Gautam, research scientist, Physical Science and Engineering, said CERP researchers and faculty are advancing technologies including alternative fuels and AI-driven combustion modeling, enhancing efficiencies and reducing emissions. 

KAUST’s industry collaborations strengthen its sustainable fuel technologies for cleaner energy in transportation, power generation and other national priorities, the event co-chair added. “These opportunities will enhance KAUST’s global impact in transitioning towards low-carbon, high-efficiency energy solutions.” 

An impactful conference 

Joining an esteemed list of speakers at the research conference, KAUST faculty highlighted their contributions to the circular economy. Bioengineering Assistant Professor Kyle Lauersen presented on the role of algal biotechnology in circularity, explaining how his lab is working with Sarathy’s team to determine, for example, how leftover algal biomass can be turned into useful byproducts through gasification to produce syngas or employed as biochar to enhance soil quality. 

“What my lab at KAUST tries to do is explore this multidimensional engineering space,” he said, adding that his team collects, investigates and engineers algae, converting waste inputs into valuable bioproducts — from specialty chemicals to perfumes to sustainable animal feed. “Algae presents a lot of opportunities.” 

Meanwhile, Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Pedro Castaño discussed quantitative and molecular-level analytical platforms for waste valorization processes, emphasizing the importance of understanding first the intricate transformations of waste at the molecular level. 

He said the introduced concept of “wasteomics” integrates large-scale analytical and computational platforms to decode waste valorization pathways. As for CERP research scientist Dr. Aziz Nechache, he talked about high-temperature electrolyzers to advance hydrogen and e-fuel production in Saudi Arabia. 

Dr. Sai Shrinivas Sreedharan, project manager for KAUST’s Cryogenic Carbon Capture initiative, explained how KAUST is advancing carbon capture by scaling technology, applying cryogenics for CO2 freezing, ensuring modular adaptability, and expanding to other industries in alignment with net-zero aspirations. 

“We don’t want to restrict ourselves to power generation. We’re definitely looking at how to take this to different sectors, such as steel and iron plants, cement kilns and marine applications.” 

The recent conference — which attracted a multitude of global experts — demonstrated KAUST’s leadership in sustainability, Sarathy noted. It helped position the University as a research hub that supports decarbonization. “By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, this conference provided a platform to drive impactful discussions and breakthrough solutions that will shape the future of sustainable energy systems."

He added: “For this conference, our objective was to understand potential of some of the basic research advances happening in the circular economy, particularly in areas of energy, seeing how those researched technologies could be accelerated, developed and deployed in real-world applications.”