SUBSTANCE
Stories about the stuff that shapes our world.

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Latest Episode: Plastics 

Plastic is one of the most transformative materials of the modern age. It’s in our cars, our homes, and our clothes. Lightweight, durable, and endlessly moldable, plastic has revolutionized manufacturing and design across nearly every industry. But this material comes with a serious downside: it’s incredibly difficult to dispose of  in the right way. 

For this episode, host Joe Hanson is joined by two experts who are working on just that. Matthias Kuba, Professor at BOKU University and Area Manager Syngas Platform Technologies at BEST in Vienna, and Wiebke Speckels, sustainability expert at BASF, share their vision for a future where plastic waste isn’t burned or landfilled, but  recycled and used as new feedstock. Their work focuses on chemical recycling, a cutting-edge approach that could give new life to plastics that are currently considered unrecyclable – like the complex mix of materials found in old cars.

Together, they explore how innovation in chemistry and engineering can help us preserve the benefits of this essential substance.

Over the next two episodes of SUBSTANCE, Joe Hanson offers a compelling look at how we might reshape our relationship with plastic and build a more sustainable world in the process.

Listen now!

Our guest: Professor Matthias Kuba

Professor Matthias Kuba is Area Manager for Syngas Platform Technologies at BEST, Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH in Vienna, Austria. Since April 2025, he holds the endowed professorship for thermochemical synthesis gas production at the Institute of Chemical and Energy Engineering at BOKU University in Vienna. His research focuses on developing innovative processes for the production of green synthesis gas, sustainable fuels, and recyclable chemicals.

In 2024, Kuba habilitated at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). He studied chemical and process engineering at the TU Wien and holds a PhD with a focus on gasification. Between 2015 and 2019 he was involved at Lulea University of Technology and Umea University in Sweden where he also received a postdoctoral research fellowship.

Our guest: Wiebke Speckels

Wiebke Speckels is Strategic Marketing & Sustainability Manager PU Flex Foam Solutions at BASF Polyurethanes GmbH in Lemförde, Germany. She studied industrial engineering at Private University of Applied Sciences for Business and Technology in Diepholz, Germany.  Her aim is to drive the green transformation without compromising on quality. An example are end-of-life vehicles: With chemical recycling, BASF can turn their plastic parts into high-performance materials for new vehicles - without losing the level of quality of fossil-based plastics.

Our host: Joe Hanson, Ph.D. 

Joe Hanson is an internationally recognized science communicator. Before working in science media and education, he researched genetic engineering and cancer biology, obtaining a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Texas.

He is the creator, host, and head writer of Be Smart, a YouTube science education show with more than 5 million subscribers on YouTube.
Hanson has won Webby and Telly Awards and the Kavli Science Journalism Award for his work. 

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