| 2025 | Honorary member of the Chinese Chemical Society |
| 2025 | Alwin-Mittasch-Award |
| 2024 | European Research Council Advanced Grant |
| 2024 | Exner medal |
| 2023 | Honorary Membership of the Dechema (German Society of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology) |
| 2016 | Honorary Doctorate of the Technical University of Munich |
| 2014 | Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker-Award |
| 2013 | Chemical-Engineering-Medal der ETH Zürich (Technical University of Zurich) |
| 2012 | Wilhelm-Klemm-Award of the GDCh (German Chemical Society) |
| 2011 | Science Award of Hamburg |
| 2011 | Wöhler-Award for resource-saving processes |
| 2011 | Ruhr Award for Science and Arts |
| 2010 | Nominated for the Future Award of Germany (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) |
| 2010 | Elected Member of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste (Academy of Science and Arts in North-Rhine-Westphalia |
| 2010 | Heisenberg-Medaille of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation |
| 2009 | European Research Council Advanced Grant |
| 2008 | Guest Professor at the University of Beijing, China |
| 2008 | Elected member of the National Academy of Science Leopoldina |
| 2007 | Honorary Professor of Dalian University of Technology, China |
| 2002 | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Award of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft |
| 2002 | Elected member of acatech (German Academy of Engineering) |
| 2001 | Award of the Stifterverbandes der Deutschen Wissenschaft |
| 2000 | Honorary Professor at the University of Bochum |
| 1992 - 1994 | Scholarship for postdoctoral studies of the Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) |
| 1991 | Boehringer-Ingelheim Award |
| 1989 | Award for outstanding PhD work, Universität Münster |