Vojtěch Jašek from FCH BUT won prestigious MOPGA competition for his research on sustainable materials

Dr. Vojtěch Jašek from the Institute of Materials Science at the Faculty of Chemistry BUT, won a prestigious international competition called Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA). He received the award for a project titled “Sustainable Strategies in Materials Science and Industry,” which focuses on sustainable strategies in materials science and industry.

Sustainable Strategies in Materials Chemistry

The project Sustainable Strategies in Materials Science and Industry focuses on finding ways to create more sustainable materials through chemical recycling, the use of waste raw materials, and the development of new materials from renewable sources.

“In my research, I focus on applied materials chemistry, which aligns with trends related to sustainability, renewable resources, recycling, and innovative materials. The goal of the presented project was to introduce three specific paths toward more sustainable materials—chemical recycling, waste valorization, and innovative materials from renewable sources,” explains Vojtěch Jašek.

All three areas were successfully developed, and the results were published in high-impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Chemical recycling was demonstrated using polyurethane materials from the automotive industry; waste valorization involved the use of waste oil to produce light-curable adhesives; and an innovative approach was achieved by designing a reactive adhesive made entirely from renewable sources. “Important aspects for industry arising from the presented results include the potential reduction of CO₂ emissions, the reduction of VOC emissions, lower toxicity, and reduced dependence on fossil fuels,” he adds.

For Vojtěch Jašek, the topic is particularly interesting because of the connection between diverse scientific approaches and concrete, applicable results. “My goal is to familiarize myself with a specific material, understand how it works and what functional properties it is intended to achieve, and then propose an alternative that incorporates aspects of sustainability as well as technological and economic rationality,” he says.

Simply put, his research seeks to identify new chemical processes and materials that are more environmentally friendly while retaining the necessary technological properties and practical applicability.

An Award as Motivation for Future Work

Vojtěch Jašek views his success in the MOPGA competition as significant recognition of his work to date and as motivation for the future.

“I am very pleased with my success in the competition, given the interest shown in the issues and processes I am working on. The committee was composed of experts in the field, and I am very glad that the strategies and experiments I presented caught the evaluators’ attention,” he says.

Vojtěch Jašek also values the award because the competition offered the opportunity to compare his results with other high-quality projects and to meet prominent figures in science. “I am very pleased with my second-place finish, especially considering all the projects presented, which were of very high quality and very interesting. The highlight for me was receiving congratulations on my achievement from 1987 Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Lehn, who is the patron of all parallel competitions organized by the Embassy of the French Republic in the Czech Republic,” he explains.

Success in the MOPGA competition confirms the importance of research that combines cutting-edge materials chemistry with the search for more sustainable solutions for both today’s industry and the future.

We congratulate Vojtěch Jašek on this prestigious award and wish him every success in his future scientific work!

Source: FCH VUT

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