This is the second Grand Challenge and this year's topic was to find a solution that will process / re-refine used vegetable cooking oils into biodegradable lubricants in a cost-effective, commercially viable manner while reducing the impact of lubricants on the global ecosystem.

At the end of July many CCRC faculty, scientists, and students attended the 39th International Symposium on Combustion in Vancouver. The biennial symposium provides a scientific venue for sharing ideas and experiences on the applications of combustion and is hosted by The Combustion Institute.

KAUST and the Oil Sustainability Program recently launched the FLEET Consortium. The Consortium plans to develop innovative fuels, lubricants, and efficient engine technologies and, in the words of Prof. Bill Roberts, Director of the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC), “represents a wonderful opportunity for KAUST and the CCRC to provide impactful solutions to greenhouse gas emissions across the entire mobility sector, both for the Kingdom and globally.” It is the CCRC that initiated FLEET.