Archive for October, 2014

Green Polymer Chemistry 2015

AMI’s Green Polymer Chemistry 2015 is the 4th edition of the international conference on sustainable synthesis of plastics and elastomers including materials currently available in the marketplace. The event will take place from 18-19 March 2014 at the Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany.

The conference kicks off with market papers on the global renewable plastics industry, discusses renewable packaging, new from old materials, synthesis, renewable plastics, measuring sustainability and new routes to bio-based polymers. This will be a 2-day conference with a networking cocktail reception for all delegates and speaker to attend, on the evening of the first day. Please follow the link here for full programme: http://www.amiplastics.com/Events/Resources/Programme/Green%20Polymer%20Chemistry%202015%20Brochure.pdf

For more information please visit the webiste or contact the Conference Organiser: Kat Langner, email: kl@amiplastics.com Tel: +44 (0) 117 314 8111

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EPA Announces Winners of 2014 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

Green Chemistry would like to congratulate the recent winners of the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards promote the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry. These prestigious annual awards recognize chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. The 2014 submissions were formally judged by an independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute.

The winners include:

  • Academic: Professor Shannon S. Stahl, University of Madison for his work on developing aerobic oxidation methods for Pharmaceutical Synthesis.
  • Small Business: Amyris, for engineering a yeast to make a renewable fuel replacement for petroleum diesel.
  • Designing Greener Chemicals: The Solberg Company, for developing a new safer firefighting foam which is free from persistent toxic chemicals.
  • Greener Reaction Conditions: QD Vision, Inc., for the production of new LED lighting material that can bring massive energy savings.
  • Greener Synthetic Pathways: Solazyme, Inc., for making soaps, laundry detergents, food products and fuels while reducing energy and water use, waste and impacts on forests.

For further information on the award winning research and how to enter for the 2015 awards take a look at the EPA website.

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Lignin boosts sunscreen performance

Scientists in Canada and China have shown that the effectiveness of commercial sunscreens can be enhanced by the addition of lignin and, as an unprecedented bonus; sunlight exposure may help them work even better!

To read the full article written about this work visit Chemistry World.

The original research article is free to access until 14 November 2014.

Download it here: Y Qian, X Qiu and S Zhu, Green Chem., 2014, DOI: 10.1039/c4gc01333f

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Dissolving lignin

The separation of lignocellulosic biomass into its three component polymers; cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, is an important field of research relevant to biorefineries and the production of bio-based products. The chemical valorisation of polysaccaharides (to bio-ethanol for example) and the paper industries leave the lignin behind as waste.

Rich in aromatic functionality, it is unfortunate that because of the poor solubility of lignin up to 40% of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock is consigned to low value applications.Graphical abstract ammonia lignin

The use of ammonia as a solvent for lignin has now been revisited by a team of Dutch scientists in order to resolve this solubilisation bottleneck. Ammonia was shown to readily dissolve most varieties of lignin at room temperature and 7-11 bar, and can be removed simply by releasing the pressure.

The mild conditions make ammonia an attractive solvent for biorefineries looking to maximise lignocellulosic biomass utilisation. Furthermore the necessary apparatus is already incorporated into biorefineries for the ammonia fibre explosion (AFEX) process.

This article is open access and available to everyone to read for free:

Lignin solubilisation and gentle fractionation in liquid ammonia

Zea Strassberger, Pepijn Prinsen, Frits van der Klis, Daan S. van Es, Stefania Tanasea and Gadi Rothenberg

Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/C4GC01143K

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