Catalysis

Process Intensification Solventless

Reactions

Product Design and Life Cycle Assessment

Renewable Feedstocks

Alternative Solvents

Innovative Engineering

Some Newer Clean Technologies

Envirocats

Commercial Supported Reagents

Mini Spinning Disc Reactor

Synthetic Organic ChemicalsTHE PRODUCTSPharmaceuticals

Dyes

Sunscreen agents

Toiletries andfragrances

NEED THE CHEMISTRY

Coupling Reactionsoften based on

expensive and toxicprecious metals

Oxidation- often based on

stoichiometric toxicmetallic reagents andlow atom efficiency

processes

Halogenationusing dangerous

reagents and often with very low atom

efficiencies

Friedel-CraftsChemistry based on

hazardous acidic reagents and

dangerous waste

BUT NOT THE PROBLEMS!

GREEN CHEMISTRY

Greening of Academic Research

Non-Volatile Solvents

Volatile Organics and

Hazardous Solvents

Solventless Systems

Supercritical Systems

Water

Other Benign Solvents

Solvent Solutions

UK Consumer Plastic Recycling

Plastic Waste

Its Bad……..

• > 25% of landfill waste is plastic (degrades slowly)

• Plastic additives are also a problem– Responsible for 28% of all

cadmium present in MSW

• Low density adds to collection difficulties– 20,000 bottles = 1t of

recovered plastic

But……• Energy requirement for PE grocery bags is <

paper

• Plastics have many environmental benefits– e.g. fuel savings in cars

• Substitution of plastics large increase in packaging weight, cost, volume, energy consumed

Polylactic Acid for Plastics Production

Corn Starch

Unrefined Dextrose

Polymer Polymer ProductionProductionPLA

Lactide

Monomer Monomer ProductionProduction

Lactic AcidFermentationFermentation

Fiber

Film

Thermoforming

Bottle

Woven

Non-woven

Etc.

Polymer Modification

ApparelFilms

Polymer Grades

Degradable Polyethylene

CH3C H3

CH3C H3CH3

C H3CH3

C H3CH3C H3

n

CH3 C H3

CH3 C H3CH3 C H3

CH3 C H3CH3 C H3

SUNLIGHT

Making Plastics Sweeter for Bugs

Polyolefin in solution

Sugar insolutionModified polymer

+bacteria

Intermediates?CO2

CO2

Water

Household DetergentsAll End Up in The Sewerage System!

Past & Present Issues…

• Eutrophication• Bio degradation• Manufacturing

Waste

Natural & Synthetic Detergents

Natural• Biodegradable• Usually mild• Expensive

e.g.fatty acid estersalcohol ethoxylatesalcohol ether sulfatessucrose esters

Synthetic• Often not very biodegradable• Inexpensive• Wide variety/active

e.g.alkyl benzene sulfonatesalcohol ethoxylatesalkyl phenol ethoxylatesquaternary ammonium compounds

Drivers for Adopting Greener Technologies

• Legislation - cost of end of pipe treatment• Competition• Public pressure• Potential for reducing costs• Chemical debottlenecking• Licensing opportunities• Less hassle from HSE/Environment Agency• New market opportunities (premium products)

Barriers to Adopting Greener Technology• Lack of global harmonisation on regulation/environmental policy• Notification processes hinder new product & process development• Lack of widely accepted measures of product or process “greenness”• Lack of technically acceptable ‘green’ substitute products and processes• Short term view by industry and investors• Lack of sophisticated accounting practices focussed on individual processes• Difficult to obtain R&D funding• Difficult to obtain information on best practice• Lack of clean, sustainable chemistry examples & topics taught in schools and universities• Lack of communication/understanding between chemists and engineers• Culture geared to looking at chemistry not the overall process/ life cycle of materials

GCNActivities

ShortCourse

Conferences

Post GradSeminars

TeacherTraining

SchoolsResources and

Events

IndustryAwarenessLectures

UK Green Chemistry

Awards

CRYSTALFaraday Partnership

Masters inClean Chemical

Technology

Undergraduatecourses and

practicals

EPSRCGreen Chemistry

Research Network

Books

Newsletter

Web Site

PublicExhibitions

Technicaland general

Articles

Educational Developments

General Public

Schools11-19 year old resource book (RSC)A - level (16 - 18) websiteTeacher Training courses Talks at schools

Undergraduate

Text book Practicals LecturesTutorials and Workshops

Postgraduate

MRes courseEuromasters courseWorldwide University NetworkOverseas eventsCrystal Faraday

Training and awareness Courses:(with Crystal Faraday)

Continuing Professional Development

R Soc and RI ExhibitionsBAAS EventsLocal EventsPublic Lectures

Green Chemistry Group

Education and Training

Pro

mot

ion

Research

Green Chemistry

GCSE text book

Development of a web-site designed for 11-19 year

olds.

Educational resources

The Future Chemical Industry

??

Past

Future

Present