The China Association for Science and Technology has announced key scientific and technological challenges for 2025, with several projects in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering selected

Thread Content

The China Association for Science and Technology announced a list of major scientific and technological challenges for 2025; several projects in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering were included on this list. On July 6, the main forum of the 27th Annual Conference of the China Association for Science and Technology was held in Beijing. At the main forum, the China Association for Science and Technology announced the major scientific issues, engineering and technical challenges, and industrial technology problems for 2025. Multiple technical issues or challenges in chemistry and chemical engineering were selected. 　　The project \"Feasibility study on the use of metalloids to replace transition metals in precise synthesis and catalytic reactions\", recommended by the Chinese Chemical Society, was successfully selected as one of the top 10 cutting-edge scientific questions for 2025. The use of semimetals to replace transition metals for precise chemical synthesis will reshape the boundaries of scientific understanding, break away from the traditional paradigms associated with transition metal catalysis, and pave the way for new theories and methods in chemical synthesis. A breakthrough in this area will drive interdisciplinary innovation, significantly reduce production costs, create substantial economic value, advance drug development and material innovation, improve healthcare and quality of life, and lead chemical synthesis into a new era that is more efficient, sustainable, and intelligent. 　　Also selected as one of the top ten frontier scientific questions in 2025 is “Multidimensional and reconfigurable assembly of supramolecular machines”. A breakthrough in this field will enable the development of reversible and reconfigurable assembly systems at the scientific level, shifting the focus from \"molecular synthesis-oriented\" approaches to \"functional assembly-oriented\" ones, thereby creating specialized characterization methods for supramolecular machines ； In terms of technological innovation, the control of cluster behavior in micro/nano robots provides a design paradigm for molecular machines, enabling supramolecular machines to become the next major technological milestone after chips and artificial intelligence. 　　““The new generation of low-energy, low-cost carbon capture and storage technologies” has been selected as one of the top 10 engineering challenges for 2025. Carbon capture and storage technology is the technical backbone for the low-carbon utilization of fossil fuels. Through the development of next-generation carbon capture technologies, key technical challenges such as new carbon capture materials, efficient carbon capture equipment, and integrated control strategies for processes and systems are expected to be overcome. This will lead to further reductions in the energy consumption and costs associated with carbon capture, thereby facilitating the commercialization of these technological advancements and enriching China’s carbon neutrality technology framework. Low-cost, long-term safe carbon sequestration technologies are key means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. Those who master this technology **will gain an advantage in global climate governance and the competition in green technologies, providing important support for global sustainable development. 　　Among the top 10 industrial technology challenges for 2025 is “breaking through the import bottleneck for high-end equipment in large and super-large seawater desalination projects”. At present, the scale of individual seawater desalination units in our country has exceeded 10,000 tons per unit. We have mastered the integrated technology for reverse osmosis seawater desalination projects with a capacity of 100,000 tons per day, and have developed seawater desalination membrane materials as well as key supporting equipment such as high-pressure pumps and energy recovery devices with independent intellectual property rights. However, for seawater desalination projects of 10,000 tons or more per unit, there is still a strong reliance on foreign equipment and technologies. Specifically, in terms of the design and development of key materials, components, and equipment, as well as the quantitative manufacturing of high-end products, China is still in its infancy and needs to accelerate its development urgently. 　　Since 2018, the China Association for Science and Technology has been continuously carrying out activities to collect and publish major scientific and technological issues and challenges. In 2025, the China Association for Science and Technology conducted a thorough evaluation based on four criteria: frontier nature, leadership potential, innovation level, and strategic importance. Through rigorous and standardized processes of review, assessment, and voting, it identified 10 frontier scientific issues, 10 engineering and technical challenges, and 10 industrial technology problems.