He-Kuan Luo joins Breakthrough Energy’s Innovator Fellows program from DeepCycle Eco in Singapore. Over the past two decades, He-Kuan has been a chemical scientist focused on developing deep tech for industry and advancing impactful basic research in sustainable chemicals and processes. As founder and Chief Executive Officer, he leads the design, scale-up, and optimization of a novel cleantech pilot for PET plastic recycling, while also driving strategic planning for business development.

DeepCycle Eco is developing a breakthrough technology that can turn plastic waste back into its original building blocks in a clean, efficient, and eco-friendly way. These pure building blocks can then be reused to make new plastics, cutting down waste, reducing carbon emissions and enabling true circularity in plastic lifecycle management. This unique process is simple, fast, selective, and operates under mild conditions—addressing challenges such as excessive chemical use, harsh operating conditions, and low efficiency. The plastics sector is one of the fastest-growing sources of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 3.5% of global GHG emissions. Through the Fellows program, the DeepCycle Eco team is piloting their solution for closed-loop PET recycling, aiming to eliminate plastic pollution and reduce GHG emissions through a circular economy model.

In his spare time, He-Kuan enjoys classical music and hiking in the hills. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Zhengzhou University and Ph.D. in Catalysis from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has since worked at several research institutes and universities, receiving various honors and awards. He remains committed to driving industrial deep tech innovations in sustainable chemicals and decarbonization technologies.