Camilla Løhre

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Chemistry, UiB.  The core of my research is the transition from fossil resources to green energy and materials, focusing on sustainable processes with a minimal environmental footprint.

Our transition towards pure renewable energy is a major challenge, but there is an equal need for materials and building blocks to sustain our standard of living when fossil resources are exhausted.  A holistic view upon the footprint of these new materials and methods is necessary, both environmentally, economically, and socially, and so environmental life cycle assessment has become an important research focus of mine in addition to teaching the corresponding LCA course at UiB.

Petroleum resources are in their way extraordinary and unique in providing adjustable pieces to any product or chemical/pharmaceutical synthesis.  However, these building blocks are also present in our surrounding nature in the form of biomass, such as in food residues, agricultural- and processing biomass.  My activities cover thermochemical conversion of biomass, including agricultural- and food waste, into biooils and high value platform chemicals.  Platform chemicals serve as substrates in both construction, medicine, and chemical synthesis, and I like to say that “everything can be made from biomass; one simply needs enough time in the lab”.