The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards have been presented annually since 1996 to recognize businesses and individuals that have discovered innovative ways to significantly reduce pollution at its sources. Nominations for the awards are judged by an independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, on behalf of a group of representatives from government, industry, academia and the non-profit sector.
This year's winners have developed innovative processes that have the potential to improve earnings as well as the environment.
The 2003 award recipients and their achievements are:
Richard A. Gross, Ph.D., Polytechnic University (Brooklyn, N.Y.) — He has developed a new, versatile method to make and modify plastics from all-natural materials, such as sugars, using an enzyme from yeast. The method is simple, energy efficient and metal- and solvent-free. The new one-step process contrasts with multiple steps used in the traditional method. This will cut costs and reduce the production of toxic chemicals, he explains. He envisions the polymers from his work being used in applications ranging from coatings to soft, biodegradable film wrappings. He is also finding that his new functional polymers from sugars are attractive for use as medical implants and for controlled drug release.
Süd-Chemie, Inc. (Louisville, Ky.) — The firm has developed a process to manufacture solid catalysts that does not release nitrates and uses 16-20 times less water than traditional processes. Solid catalysts are used in producing hydrogen, clean fuels and other chemicals. This new process involves one step, while past catalyst-producing processes have needed four. It saves considerable amounts of water, which is especially important in those parts of the United States and other countries where there is a scarcity. The new process is environmentally friendly because it does not produce nitrates, a byproduct of making these types of catalysts that promotes the growth of algae, which kills some life forms in the ocean.
DuPont (Wilmington, Del.) — The company has developed an innovative, bio-based method that uses renewable resources like corn — instead of conventional petroleum-based processes — to produce the latest building block to make polymers used in clothing, carpets and automobile interiors. Traditionally, fibers are petroleum-based materials. DuPont, with joint development partner Genencor International, developed a bio-based method that uses renewable resources instead of typical petrochemicals. A microorganism was engineered to use sugars from corn and corn biomass in a fermentation-based process.
Shaw Industries, Inc. (Dalton, Ga.) — The firm has developed a carpet tile that is safer, has fewer harmful chemicals than other brands and may be recycled into the same product. Shaw's EcoWorx™ carpet tiles contain fewer chemicals that might interact adversely with the environment than other tiles. The EcoWorx™ tile is also 40 percent lower in weight than traditional hardback carpet tiles, cutting the amount of raw materials needed. Because the carpet weighs less, more can be shipped in a single load, lowering transportation costs and reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted due to fewer trips. EcoWorx™ is made from a major category of plastic (polyolefin) that is part of other common products like milk bottles and other plastic food containers.
AgraQuest, Inc. (Davis, Calif.) — The firm has developed a bio-based, broad spectrum fungicide that is not toxic to humans, animals or the environment. AgraQuest's fungicide, Serenade®, effectively controls a broad spectrum of plant diseases, is environmentally friendly and is nontoxic to beneficial insects and non-target organisms. It can be used up to and including the day of harvest and workers can re-enter the fields within four hours of its use. The nontoxic product is replacing some synthetic pesticides that have been shown to be harmful to the environment and people. Studies show other fungicides are toxic to frogs and earthworms and, when they leach into the ocean, to shrimp and other forms of life. Since Serenade® consists of natural products used in a fermentation process its byproducts can actually be used as fertilizer.
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony is held as part of the Seventh Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference June 23-26 at the National Academies, Washington, D.C. For more information on the conference go to: http://chemistry.org/meetings/greenchem2003.html