Plant waste solar panels

James Sherwood is a guest web-writer for Green Chemistry. James is a research associate in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York. His interests range from the certification and application of bio-based products, to the understanding of solvent effects in organic synthesis.

 A low cost, low energy route to solar grade silicon from rice hull ash (RHA), a sustainable source High purity silicon is essential for manufacturing solar panels. Unfortunately this prerequisite conversion of silica to elemental silicon requires a lot of energy, and the associated greenhouse gas emissions are significant. It has now been demonstrated that the ashes from burning biomass (rice hulls in this case) can provide a rich source of silica than can be reduced to give solar grade silicon.

For the preparation of the silica from rice hull ash only dilute acid and hot water are required. The energy requirement to then produce 99.9999% pure silicon is an order of magnitude less than the conventional process and is actually lower than the energy created by burning the rice hulls in the first place. As the carbon dioxide generated by burning biomass is originally fixed from the atmosphere by plants, the carbon footprint for the production of this sustainable silicon is very low.

Read the advanced article in Green Chemistry online now:

A low cost, low energy route to solar grade silicon from rice hull ash (RHA), a sustainable source

Julien C. Marchal, David J. Krug III, Patrick McDonnell, Kai Sun and Richard M. Laine

Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00622H

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Green Chemistry leads the field with Impact Factor of 8.02

We are delighted to announce that Green Chemistry’s Impact Factor* has risen to a new high of 8.02.

This fantastic achievement secures the journal’s position as the #1 home for the green chemistry community, and as the highest impact journal publishing on sustainable chemistry and technology.

The journal and its stellar Editorial Board continue to lead the field, publishing innovative research with a wide general appeal.

A huge thank you goes to all of our authors, referees and Board members for their continued help and support, and we invite you to submit your next high quality paper to Green Chemistry.

Check out the following selection of highly cited articles that contributed to this Impact Factor:

Camilla Parmeggiani and Francesca Cardona
DOI: 10.1039/C2GC16344F

Agnieszka Brandt, John Gräsvik, Jason P. Hallett and Tom Welton
DOI: 10.1039/C2GC36364J

Sara E. Davis, Matthew S. Ide and Robert J. Davis
DOI: 10.1039/C2GC36441G

David Martin Alonso, Stephanie G. Wettstein and James A. Dumesic
DOI: 10.1039/C3GC37065H

Yanlong Gu
DOI: 10.1039/C2GC35635J

*The Impact Factor provides an indication of the average number of citations per paper. Produced annually, Impact Factors are calculated by dividing the number of citations in a year by the number of citeable articles published in the preceding two years. Data based on 2014 Journal Citation Reports®, (Thomson Reuters, 2015).
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Poster Prizes at the 3rd International Symposium on Green Chemistry

The 3rd International Symposium on Green Chemistry (ISGC) took place on 3rd-7th May in La Rochelle, France. This was sponsored by Green Chemistry and a number of poster prizes were awarded by Green Chemistry Advisory Board member Professor Robin Rogers of McGill University, Canada and Dr Francois Jerome, University of Poitiers, France.

The first prize was awarded to Ana Franco of the University of Cordoba in Spain for her poster ‘Waste to materials: synthesis and applications of mesoporous silicates from rice husk‘. Felix Aremando Reano, of Chaire ABI – AgroParisTech, France, received the second prize for his poster ‘Determination of antioxidant activity of new biobased macrobisphenols‘, and Clemence Queffélec, University of Nantes, France, was awarded the third prize his poster ‘Hydrothermal liquefaction as a route to transform microalgae residues in bio-asphalt‘.

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A photochemical method for separating rare earth metals

Rare earth metals are notoriously hard to separate from one another, due to the similarity of their chemical properties. At present, the complex series of solvent extraction steps to extract rare earths from their ores are only carried out in China. With their increasing utilisation in modern technologies, scientists have been collaborating to develop cleaner less intensive methods of rare earth separation.

Tom Van Gerven and Koen Binnemans of the University of Leuven in Belgium have worked together to combine their expertise and develop a photochemical method for extracting the europium and yttrium from an ionic liquid solution. Both elements are present in their trivalent state, but if europium absorbs light of the correct wavelength (provided by a low pressure mercury lamp) it will reduce to the divalent state and be precipitated out.

Want to know more?

Read the full article in Chemistry World by Jonathan Midgley.

Or, take a look at the original article which is free to access until 8th July 2015:

Photochemical recycling of europium from Eu/Y mixtures in red lamp phosphor waste streams” by B Van den Bogaert et al., DOI:10.1039/c4gc02140a

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Recent HOT articles in Green Chemistry

Check out the following HOT articles, these have all been made free to access for a limited time:

Graphical Abstract
Life Cycle Inventory improvement in the pharmaceutical sector: assessment of the sustainability combining PMI and LCA tools

Daniele Cespi, Evan S. Beach, Thomas E. Swarr, Fabrizio Passarini, I. Vassura, Peter J. Dunn and Paul T. Anastas
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00424A

Conventional and microwave assisted hydrolysis of urban biowastes to added value lignin-like products
Daniele Rosso, Jiajun Fan, Enzo Montoneri, Michele Negre, James Clark and Davide Mainero
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00357A

Efficient Bromination of Olefins, Alkynes, and Ketones with Dimethyl Sulfoxide and Hydrobromic Acid

Song Song, Xinwei Li, Xiang Sun, Yizhi Yuan and Ning Jiao
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00528K

Nanoclusters of Cu (II) Supported on Nanocrystalline W (VI) Oxide: A Potential Catalyst for Single-Step Conversion of Cyclohexane to Adipic Acid
Shankha S. Acharyya, Shilpi Ghosh and Rajaram Bal
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00379B

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Professor Roger A. Sheldon elected Fellow of the Royal Society

We would like to congratulate Professor Roger Sheldon, of Delft University of Technology and Green Chemistry Advisory Board member, in being elected as a fellow of the Royal Society. Fellows of the Royal Society are elected for life through a peer review process on the basis of excellence in science.

As Professor of Biocatalysis & Organic Chemistry, Roger is recognised for leading a distinguished career in which he has made pioneering contributions to catalytic oxidation, biocatalysis and green chemistry and has enabled the gap between organic synthesis and catalysis to be bridged. He also introduced the E-factor which has played a major role in drawing attention to the problem of waste generation in chemicals manufacture and provides an impetus for developing cleaner and more sustainable processes. In his most recent appointment as Distinguished Professor of Biocatalysis Engineering at the School of Chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa, Roger will be involved in the development of green (enantio)selective biocatalytic processes. Roger is also Chief Executive Officer of CLEA Technologies B.V., a Biotech company specializing in the development of green biocatalytic processes and the cost-effective immobilization of enzymes as cross-linked enzyme aggregates.

Roger is revered by the green chemistry community as one of the founding fathers of the field and of this journal.

Read a selection of Roger’s papers – free to access until 15th June 2015:

The E Factor: fifteen years on, Roger A. Sheldon, Green Chem., 2007,9, 1273-1283
DOI: 10.1039/B713736M,

Green solvents for sustainable organic synthesis: state of the art, Roger A. Sheldon, Green Chem., 2005,7, 267-278
DOI: 10.1039/B418069K,

Biocatalysis in ionic liquids, Roger A. Sheldon, Rute Madeira Lau, Menno J. Sorgedrager, Fred van Rantwijk and Kenneth R. Seddon, Green Chem., 2002,4, 147-151
DOI: 10.1039/B110008B,

Professor Dr Roger A. Sheldon—65 years on, Ilya I. Moiseev,   Shun-Ichi Murahashi,   Martyn Poliakoff,  Kenneth R. Seddon and   Vytas K. Švedas, Green Chem., 2008,10, 270-270
DOI: 10.1039/B719347P

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Richard P. Wool

Professor Richard P. Wool, a leading figure in the green chemistry community, sadly died on 24th March 2015. Richard Wool was Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware in the United States, and headed the Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources (ACRES), which carried out work to develop uses for bio-materials such as chicken feathers and soybeans to create a diversity of products from tractors to circuit boards to a synthetic fabric named Eco-Leather.

After completing his Bachelors degree in Chemistry in his hometown of Cork, Professor Wool moved to Utah in the United States where he completed his Masters degree and Ph.D.. This is also where he started to build his illustrious career that focussed on improving materials synthesis in order to reduce the impact this may have on the environment and on human health. He received a number of accolades for his contribution to green chemistry, including the ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry, the U.S.A EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for his work in Sustainable Polymers and Composites and he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in January 2015.

Professor Wool was also a member of the Green Chemistry Advisory Board and his contribution to the journal and the community will be sincerely missed. Green Chemistry would like to send our deepest condolences to Richard Wool’s family and friends.

Credit: University of Delaware

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Call for Posters – 3rd International Conference of the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”

Be part of the 3rd International Conference of the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”! This conference is open to participants from science and industry interested in fields related to biomass and biofuels. The following topics will be addressed in separate sessions during the conference:

  • Biomass Fractionation and Pre-treatment
  • Enzymatic and Catalytic Biomass Processing
  • Catalytic Synthesis and Conversion of Biomass-based Streams to Platform Molecules and Fuels
  • (Bio-)refinery Process Optimization
  • Injection, Ignition and Combustion of Biofuels
  • Combustion Process and Exhaust Gas Aftertreatment Optimization of Biofuels

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Recent HOT GC Articles

Check out the following HOT articles, these have all been made free to access for a limited time:

Recycling of rare earths from NdFeB magnets using a combined leaching/extraction system based on the acidity and thermomorphism of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N]
David Dupont and   Koen Binnemans
Green Chem., 2015,17, 2150-2163
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00155B

Upgrading biogenic furans: blended C10–C12 platform chemicals via lyase-catalyzed carboligations and formation of novel C12 – choline chloride-based deep-eutectic-solvents Upgrading biogenic furans: blended C10–C12 platform chemicals via lyase-catalyzed carboligations and formation of novel C12 – choline chloride-based deep-eutectic-solvents
Joseph Donnelly, Christoph R. Müller, Lotte Wiermans, Christopher J. Chuck and Pablo Domínguez de María
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00342C

From simple organobromides or olefins to highly value-added bromohydrins: a versatile performance of dimethyl sulfoxide
Song Song, Xiaoqiang Huang, Yu-Feng Liang, Conghui Tang, Xinwei Lia and Ning Jiao
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00184F

Extraction and separation of neodymium and dysprosium from used NdFeB magnets: an application of ionic liquids in solvent extraction towards the recycling of magnets
Sofía Riaño and Koen Binnemans
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00230C, Paper

Greening the global phosphorus cycle: how green chemistry can help achieve planetary P sustainability
Paul J. A. Withers, James J. Elser, Julian Hilton, Hisao Ohtake, Willem J. Schipper and Kimo C. van Dijk
Green Chem., 2015,17, 2087-2099
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC02445A, Perspective

Stimuli-responsive/rheoreversible hydraulic fracturing fluids as a greener alternative to support geothermal and fossil energy production Stimuli-responsive/rheoreversible hydraulic fracturing fluids as a greener alternative to support geothermal and fossil energy production
H. B. Jung, K. C. Carroll, S. Kabilan, D. J. Heldebrant, D. Hoyt, L. Zhong, T. Varga, S. Stephens, L. Adams, A. Bonneville, A. Kuprat and C. A. Fernandez
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC01917B, Paper

Fluorine gas for life science syntheses: green metrics to assess selective direct fluorination for the synthesis of 2-fluoromalonate esters
Antal Harsanyi and Graham Sandford
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00402K, Paper

Layered MoS2 nanoparticles on TiO2 nanotubes by a photocatalytic strategy for use as high-performance electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reactions
Chenhui Meng, Zhaoyue Liu, Tierui Zhang and Jin Zhai
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00272A, Communication

Ionic liquid-stabilized nanoparticles as catalysts for the conversion of biomass
K. L. Luska, P. Migowski and W. Leitner
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00231A, Critical Review


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Green Chemistry themed issue on Elemental Recovery and Sustainability now online

Issue 4 of Green Chemistry is a part themed issue on ‘Elemental Recovery and Sustainability focusing on how we can develop methods to ensure that elements are available for use by future generations through sustainable use and recovery.

The guest editors for this themed collection are James Clark (University of York, UK), Andrew Hunt (University of York, UK), Avtar Matharu (University of York, UK) and Alex King (Ames Labs, USA), read their editorial for free here.

The outside front cover of the issue features the Critical Review “Bio-derived materials as a green route for precious & critical metal recovery and re-use” by Jennifer R. Dodson, Helen L. Parker, Andrea Muñoz García, Alexandra Hicken, Kaana Asemave, Thomas J. Farmer, He He, James H. Clark and Andrew J. Hunt. In this article they give an overview of research in critical and precious metal recovery using biosorption, application to real-life wastes and uses of the metal-loaded materials.

The inside front cover of the issue features the Paper “Recycling of rare earths from NdFeB magnets using a combined leaching/extraction system based on the acidity and thermomorphism of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N]” by David Duponta and Koen Binnemans. In this article they describe how a new recycling process was developed to recover rare earths from roasted NdFeB magnets using the thermomorphic and acidic properties of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N] to achieve a combined leaching/extraction system.

These two articles are free to access until 15th May and there are also a number of open access articles within the issue:

Greening the global phosphorus cycle: how green chemistry can help achieve planetary P sustainability” by Paul J. A. Withers, James J. Elser, Julian Hilton, Hisao Ohtake, Willem J. Schipper and Kimo C. van Dijk.
Chameleon behaviour of iodine in recovering noble-metals from WEEE: towards sustainability and “zero” waste” by Angela Serpe, Americo Rigoldi, Claudia Marras, Flavia Artizzu, Maria Laura Mercuri and Paola Deplano.
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