Imperial academic leads key Royal Society report

Professor Christos N. Markides, Head of the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, played a leading role in a new Royal Society report on the use of thermal energy to improve industrial energy efficiency.

The report, published in January 2026, entitled 'Unlocking thermal energy: Capture, storage and re-use of industrial waste heat,' highlights how capturing, storing and re-using the large quantities of heat currently lost from industrial processes can reduce energy use, improve productivity and promote decarbonisation. It demonstrates that the effective utilisation of waste heat from sectors such as steel, glass, cement and chemicals could reduce reliance on primary energy, support industrial competitiveness, advance decarbonisation and contribute to the UK’s net-zero goals, while unlocking new sources of heat for domestic consumers.

It also reflects the power of collaboration between academia, industry and policy in tackling the UK’s current challenges while strengthening national competitiveness. Professor Christos N. Markides Head of the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory, Chemical Engineering

Professor Markides was the coordinating author of one of the report’s five chapters that reviewed a range of technological options for thermal energy capture and re-use or conversion, and he presented the technical content of this chapter on the day of the report’s launch at the Royal Society. Following the report’s presentation, he joined a panel that answered questions from the event’s attendees on the report’s findings.

Professor Markides said: “It was a real pleasure to contribute to this Royal Society report on industrial waste heat. The report shows how the capture, storage and re-use of this significant yet presently wasted resource, through innovative and affordable technologies, is a vital element of industrial efficiency and decarbonisation. It also reflects the power of collaboration between academia, industry and policy in tackling the UK’s current challenges while strengthening national competitiveness.”

His contributions to the report draw on Imperial’s long-standing research in clean energy technologies and innovations, energy systems and sustainable engineering, reinforcing Imperial’s role in addressing complex energy and climate challenges through cross-sector collaboration.

The work complements ongoing research within Imperial’s Department of Chemical Engineering into energy conversion, storage and efficiency, and strengthens links between academic research, industry practice and national policy debate on industrial decarbonisation.