Women in Green Chemistry and Engineering: Agents of Change Toward the Achievement of a Sustainable Future

Recent years have seen a disheartening string of revelations in which everyday items once considered safe—food packaging, toys, clothes, furniture, electronic components, and many more products—are found to contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and other harmful chemicals.1 Growing demand for healthier alternatives, already seen in food production and housing construction,2 is also happening at the building-block level of manufacturing, where so-called green chemistry represents a revolutionary change in preventing pollution and health problems starting at the chemical design stage. Many industry and government entities are beginning to espouse the principles of green chemistry on their websites and in public statements. Now comes the task of crafting policy to put those principles into action. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines green chemistry as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry applies across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture, and use.”3 Green chemistry also aims to mitigate the type of uncertainty Alan Gold-berg, a professor of toxicology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, recently described to The New York Times: “I can get [toxicity] information on only 20 percent of chemicals we interact with on a daily basis.”4 Of that 20%, he now says, he may be able to find information on overt toxicity for about half, but for details on specific effects such as developmental neurotoxicity, the figure shrinks toward zero. So what does green chemistry look like? Consider the example of pregabalin, the active ingredient in the neuropathic pain drug Lyrica®. Pfizer developed an alternative green-chemistry process that converted several steps of pregabalin synthesis from use of organic solvents to water. That reduced both health hazards and production heating requirements. With the new synthesis, waste from the process dropped from 86 kg of waste per kg product to 17 kg, and energy use dropped by 82%.5 Proponents say that’s how the field can offer a win–win–win solution: good performance, lower cost, and less environmental impact—what Richard Engler, program manager of the EPA Green Chemistry Program, calls the “triple bottom line.” For many, a standard is a logical next step. “At some point you have to go beyond a definition and principles,” says Engler. “I think that’s something the standard will enable.”

New perspectives for sustainable resource and energy use, management and transformation: approaches from green and sustainable chemistry and engineering

New perspectives for green and sustainable chemistry and engineering: Approaches from sustainable resource and energy use, management, and transformation

Catalysis as a foundational pillar of green chemistry

In 2015 the United Nations declared a framework comprising 17 aspirational goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was meant to be adopted by governments, industries, and other stakeholders worldwide to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people live with peace and prosperity by 2030. It can make the environment sustainable, in other words. Chemistry can play an essential role in helping society achieve the SDGs and Green Chemistry (GC) specifically may be a key player in this regard. GC complements other streams of chemistry, including environmental chemistry. Environmental Chemistry is the ‘chemistry of the environment’ that explains nature and the impact of man on nature. At the same time, GC is ‘chemistry for the environment’ i.e., more environmentally friendly chemistry. GC may be defined as “invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances”. New chemical research, green and sustainable chemistry education, green and sustainable chemical manufacturing practices, and a sense of social responsibility are critical for all chemists worldwide as we work together to protect our planet Earth. SDGs including Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action is directly related to chemistry at large and GC in precise. Therefore, if we rightly practice GC, it serves the purpose of environmental sustainability and will be useful in achieving the SDGs, which will ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity in the long run. Green Chemistry Education is quite important in this regard, which needs to be practiced more and more.

We are grateful to Environmental Health Perspectives for implicitly embracing green chemistry as a field with profound connections to the environmental health sciences. We also commend the efforts of Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) to create greater transparency and accountability around chemicals of concern. We take issue, however, with their approach to key scientific concepts and terminology—specifically their effort to change the definition of “green chemistry.” Precision in terminology is paramount for science to function; all parties to a scientific discussion must share the same set of definitions for knowledge to advance effectively. In their review, Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) ignored the original and current definition of green chemistry, which for almost two decades has been recognized as a scientific discipline within the field of chemistry. Defined in the early 1990s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2009) as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances,” green chemistry is now guided by a set of 12 principles (Anastas and Warner 1998) that are used in both research and teaching in chemis try laboratories around the world. Based on these principles, dozens of universities around the world teach green chemistry as a science. Seven graduate programs offer degrees in green chemistry. Two established peer-reviewed scientific journals focus specifically on research in green chemistry. The impact factor of the journal Green Chemistry (published by the Royal Society of Chemistry) has increased from 2.5 to almost 5 over the past 5 years. More than 1,500 articles on green chemistry have been published in the scientific literature over the past 15 years. Rather than embracing green chemistry’s widely used scientific definition, Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) instead conflate science and policy: The laws governing the chemical enterprise help define the incentives and disincentives that guide economic behavior in the market …. We use the term green chemistry in this context: as an analytical framework that encompasses both the science of safer chemistry and the laws and policies that will motivate its development and adoption by society. This conflation brings with it two risks. First, it undermines clarity in scientific communication, something that is especially important as the fields of environmental health and green chemistry attempt to establish cross-disciplinary collaboration. Such collaborations are likely to prove vital for both fields. Second, it saddles the intellectual and scientific enterprise of green chemistry with policy and, potentially, political baggage, as considerations of chemical policies unfold in the political arena. We are most certainly not arguing that the science of green chemistry should not inform chemical policies. Science and policy will be more effective, however, if political actors do not muddy accepted scientific terminology in service of a political/policy agenda, no matter how noble.

Vol. 115, No. 5 EnvironewsOpen AccessEHPnet: Green Chemistry Institute Erin E. Dooley Erin E. Dooley Search for more papers by this author Published:1 May 2007https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.115-a245AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit The Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) was formed in 1997 and became part of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2001. The institute works to advance the growth of green chemistry and green engineering, a movement to develop and implement manufacturing processes that are both economically sound and environmentally sustainable. Information on the institute’s different activities and a wealth of resources are available at http://chemistry.org/greenchemistryinstitute.The GCI site includes an overview of green chemistry and green engineering, and outlines 12 principles underlying each. The homepage also has a News section, divided into Green Chemistry Updates and Headlines Around the World. The updates link to information on ACS events (such as roundtables, workshops, and meetings), announcements of new resources in the field, and other notable happenings. The Research section of the site has details about GCI funding opportunities and fellowships.The Education section provides educational resources categorized by four levels: graduate, undergraduate, high school, and primary school. In the Undergraduate section, for example, are green engineering modules for chemical engineering courses that include problems and case studies that can be put into use in traditional classes. Also on offer is the ACS publication Greener Approaches to Undergraduate Chemistry Experiments, a collection of 14 laboratory activities that use green chemistry principles to investigate typical topics in undergraduate chemistry. The coursebook Introduction to Green Chemistry is also available in this section, as is a group of case studies based on the winners of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. A list of postsecondary schools in the United States and abroad that offer green chemistry programs is also featured in the Education section.The Industrial Implementation section of the site offers a glimpse into resources the institute offers to companies. The GCI conducts professional training in green chemistry principles, applications, methods, tools, and techniques. It also provides technical assistance in the forms of opportunity assessments, databases of new technologies, and benchmarking. Finally, the institute furnishes companies ways to gain recognition for their green efforts through media and community outreach, the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, and an annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference.The International Cooperation section includes links to the 23 international chapters of the GCI. These chapters conduct educational programs in their countries, host green chemistry events, and produce publications. One of the three chapters in the United Kingdom has developed a green chemistry program targeted at consumers and retailers.The Resources section of the GCI site indexes links under seven categories. Among other offerings in the Electronic Tools category is the Green Chemistry Resource Exchange, a searchable database of news articles, journal articles, reports, and presentations. By joining the exchange, visitors can add new entries to the database and receive updates on advances in the field.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 115, No. 5 May 2007Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 May 2007Published in print1 May 2007 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

Experts mulled the differences between the defined field of green chemistry and the more imprecise concept of sustainable chemistry at a US congressional hearing July 25. Their discussions could influence legislation backed by industry and academics that would focus federal efforts on characterizing and directing grant funding to sustainable chemistry. Green chemistry principles were established in the 1990s, Julie Zimmerman, deputy director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, told the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.” “The term sustainable chemistry has been introduced more recently and possesses countless definitions” put forth by individuals, companies, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and governmental entities, Zi...

Hi Reddit! Since I introduced myself in the ACS AMA last year (http://redd.it/3fqnqo) , I’ll only say that I’m the Director of the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute where we work to catalyze and enable the implementation of green chemistry and engineering throughout the global chemistry enterprise. At the moment we’re getting ready for the 20th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, held in Portland, OR June 14-16 (http://www.gcande.org/) and I hope you can join us for what is shaping up to be a great Conference.. So, feel free to ask me anything about the current and future states of sustainable and green chemistry and engineering. Like last year, feel free to ask me anything about how sustainable and green chemistry is implemented in industry, or how you can apply it in your research, or what challenges you’re encountering in your work as you work to implement it. I will be back at 11 am ET to answer your questions, Ask me Anything!

The first Special Topic issue devoted to green chemistry was published in Pure and Applied Chemistry in July 2000 [Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207-1403 (2000)]. Since then, three collections of works have been published, arising from the recently launched IUPAC series of International Conferences on Green Chemistry:- 1st International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-1), Dresden, Germany, 10-15 September 2006: Pure Appl. Chem.79, 1833-2100 (2007)- 2nd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-2), Moscow, Russia, 14-20 September 2008: Pure Appl. Chem.81, 1961-2129 (2009)- 3rd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-3), Ottawa, Canada, 15-18 August 2010: Pure Appl. Chem.83, 1343-1406 (2011)This Special Topic issue forms part of the series on green chemistry, and is an outcome of IUPAC Project No. 2008-016-1-300: “Chlorine-free Synthesis for Green Chemistry” previously announced in Chemistry International, May-June, p. 22 (2011).The IUPAC Subcommittee on Green Chemistry was founded in July 2001 and has selected the following definition for green chemistry [1]: “The invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances” [2].Much controversy persists about the appropriate terminology to describe this new field of research. Which term should be selected, “green chemistry” or “sustainable chemistry”? Perhaps consensus can be achieved if different purposes and interests of chemists are reconciled. If we are involved in fundamental research devoted to the discovery of new reaction pathways and reagents, “green” is the best word because it defines these intents, thus the term “green chemistry” would be the best name for this field of research. If we are interested in exploitation of a process or a product that must be profitable, then such chemical manufacture must be sustainable by many criteria (price, competition, profit, environment, etc.), and, accordingly, “sustainable chemistry” is the term that best defines this objective.This Special Topic issue has been designed with the intent to explore the restriction, or preferably prevention, of the use of halogenated compounds, whenever feasible, through the assembly and reporting of already identified information. This intent has been pursued through innovative synthetic pathways using clearly identified production drivers (e.g., energy consumption, environmental impact, economical feasibility, etc.). In past decades, scientific knowledge and feasible technologies were unavailable, but we now have enough expertise to pursue discontinuation of hazardous and toxic reagents. In fact, the replacement of reagents that are toxic, dangerous, and produced by eco-unfriendly processes is still an underdeveloped area of chemistry today.Pietro TundoProject Co-chair1. For a short history of green chemistry, see: P. Tundo, F. Aricò. Chem. Int.29(5), (2007).2. P. Anastas, D. Black, J. Breen, T. Collins, S. Memoli, J. Miyamoto, M. Polyakoff, W. Tumas, P. Tundo. Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207 (2000).

Environmental issues are increasingly of global concern. The trend of sustainable development requires chemistry to be “clean” or “green.” In the 1990s, therefore, the concept of “Green Chemistry” was proposed, together with the “Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry.” These twelve principles encompassed the premise of green chemistry but mainly focused on the aspects of synthetic chemistry. For green chemistry in the analytical laboratory, the concept of Green Analytical Chemistry was subsequently proposed, but it has not yet become a popular field of chemistry. Apparently, green analytical chemistry is a key part of green chemistry and an important trend in analytical chemistry in modern society. It is an emerging area of increasing importance both in green chemistry and in analytical chemistry. In this report, green analytical chemistry is systematically discussed and then defined with seven principles. Firstly, the aspects of green analytical chemistry are discussed in detail with regard to the whole analytical process; i.e., from sample collection, sample preparation, to sample analysis, and some other related issues such as process analysis. Secondly, some naturally green or possibly green analytical techniques are discussed. Presently, spectroscopic methods dominate the area of green analytical chemistry. The purpose of this report is to arouse more attention to green analytical chemistry to serve the sustainable development of the modern society.

More environmentally friendly, less expensive, smarter chemistry—these attributes characterize the products and processes developed by researchers who are honored with the annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. This year’s winners received their awards during a ceremony held on June 18, appropriately enough in Rachel Carson Great Hall—also known as the “green room”—at the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The competitive awards program, now in its 17th year, is administered by EPA and sponsored in part by the American Chemical Society. The awards—divided into several categories—give national recognition to researchers who incorporate the principles of green chemistry and green engineering into the design, manufacture, and use of commercial chemical products and processes to help achieve federal pollution-prevention goals and promote sustainability. Known for her 1962 environmental awareness book “Silent Spring,” Carson was “a pioneering scientific voice who ...

This paper provides a brief overview of the formation, organization, and mission of the School of Green Chemistry and Engineering (SGCE) at the University of Toledo, and a description of SGCE efforts to introduce principles of green chemistry and green engineering into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. This includes development of selected new courses and new academic programs such as a Minor in Green Chemistry and Engineering, a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Green Chemistry and Engineering, and an online Master in Education and Science in Chemistry degree aimed at College Credit Plus credentialing of high school chemistry teachers in Ohio.

This paper provides a brief overview of the formation, organization, and mission of the School of Green Chemistry and Engineering (SGCE) at the University of Toledo, and a description of SGCE efforts to introduce principles of green chemistry and green engineering into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. This includes development of selected new courses and new academic programs such as a Minor in Green Chemistry and Engineering, a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Green Chemistry and Engineering, and an online Master in Education and Science in Chemistry degree aimed at College Credit Plus credentialing of high school chemistry teachers in Ohio.

Green chemistry and green engineering in China: drivers, policies and barriers to innovation