Discover the first articles from RSC Sustainability

RSC Sustainability champions chemical science discoveries. We want the research we publish to enable the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and we are delighted to share our very first papers with you. Read our first articles here for free!

 

From rocks to bioactive compounds: a journey through the global P(V) organophosphorus industry and its sustainability

Sosthène Ung and Chao-Jun Li

RSC Sustainability, 2022, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D2SU00015F

 

Biologically bound nickel accelerated de-polymerization of polyethylene to high value hydrocarbons and hydrogen

Parul Johar, Elizabeth L. Rylott, C. Robert McElroy, Avtar S. Matharu and James H. Clark

RSC Sustainability, 2022, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D2SU00001F

 

Tailoring lixiviant properties to optimise selectivity in E-waste recycling

Jennifer M. Hartley, Sean Scott, Rodolfo Marin Rivera, Philip Hunt, Anthony J. Lucio, Philip Bird, Robert Harris, Gawen R.T. Jenkin and Andrew P. Abbott

RSC Sustainability, 2022, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D2SU00038E

 

Birch fractionation in γ-valerolactone with the emphasis on pulp properties: prehydrolysis, acid-catalyzed, and alkaline-catalyzed concept

Marianna Granatier, Huy Quang Lê, Eva Carmona González and Herbert Sixta

RSC Sustainability, 2022, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D2SU00046F

 

Phosphate-induced enhancement of fumarate production from a CO2 and pyruvate with the system of malate dehydrogenase and fumarase

Mika Takeuchi and Yutaka Amao

RSC Sustainability, 2022, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/D2SU00031H

 

Professor Tom Welton: “As the Editor-in-Chief of RSC Sustainability, I am pleased to see these first articles that contribute toward circular economy through the use of renewables and efficient use of nature’s resources, and look forward to our sharing our future papers with you too.”

 

RSC Sustainability is a gold open access journal. We welcome solutions-focused research that is dedicated to solving sustainability challenges. Interested in publishing your research? Submit your manuscript.

 

Best wishes,

 

Tom Welton

Editor-in-Chief, RSC Sustainability

Imperial College London, UK

 

P.S. Keep up with the latest news from RSC Sustainability and sign up for email alerts.

 

Our sustainable laboratories programme helps scientists adopt environmentally sustainable lab practices. Read highlights and discover more.

 

Meet the RSC Sustainability team

Join our board members Tom Welton, Haichao Liu and Fran Kerton for our COP27 satellite event on 11 November 2022. Find out more here.

Dr Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo joins RSC Sustainability as Associate Editor

We are delighted to welcome Dr Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo, Deakin University, Australia, as an Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

Learn more about our new Associate Editor

Dr. Pozo-Gonzalo works as a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Deakin University in Melbourne (Australia). She attained her Bachelor of Science and honours at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). After graduating, she received her PhD degree in Chemistry from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) on the electrochemical synthesis of Conducting Polymers. In 2004, she joined the Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in San Sebastian (Spain) as the Head of Electrooptical unit where she stayed for 7 years, managing a total of 23 projects. After moving to Australia, she has been working with Prof. Alan Bond at Monash University and in 2012 she joined Deakin University where she has been working in reversible metal-air battery with advanced electrolytes, ionic liquids funded by ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).

 

Currently, she leads research activities in sustainable energy storage technologies covering the circular economy (CE) model from materials redesign up to critical metals recovery using solvometallurgy and electrochemistry with important benefits for the environment. She has led IFM’s development of an energy research node on circular economy (CE) for energy storage and generation and designed the Institute’s CE road map. She is a board member for the journal Sustainable Chemistry, Review editor of Frontiers in Chemistry in the electrochemistry division and Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability. During her research career, she has published 97 publications, including 4 patents and 3 book chapters and managed 33 projects as chief investigator.

 

Read some of her recent contributions below:

 

Tunable multi-doped carbon nanofiber air cathodes based on a poly(ionic liquid) for sodium oxygen batteries with diglyme/ionic liquid-based hybrid electrolytes

Han Li, The An Ha, Nagore Ortiz-Vitoriano, Xungai Wang, Jian Fang, Patrick C. Howlett and Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo

Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2022, 10, 11742-11754

 

Fluorine-free ionic liquid electrolytes for sustainable neodymium recovery using an electrochemical approach

Kalani Periyapperuma, Jennifer M. Pringle, Laura Sanchez-Cupido, Maria Forsyth and Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo

Green Chemistry, 2021, 23, 3410-3419

 

RSC Sustainability is now open for submissions. Find out more on the journal webpage, sign up to e-Alerts or submit your manuscript now.

 

Please join us in welcoming Dr Pozo-Gonzalo to RSC Sustainability.

 

Professor Haichao Liu joins RSC Sustainability as Associate Editor

We are delighted to welcome Professor Haichao Liu, Peking University, China, as an Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

Learn more about our new Associate Editor

 

Haichao Liu is the Changjiang Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Peking University, China. He received his B.S. degree in 1990 and M.S. degree from Sichuan University in 1993, and his Ph.D degree from Beijing Research Institute of Petroleum Processing in 1996. From 1997 to 2003, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Tokyo and the University of California at Berkeley. He then joined the faculty of Peking University. His research group works in the area of molecular catalysis and sustainable energy chemistry, focusing on the fundamental studies of the catalyst structures and reaction mechanisms, towards the design of heterogeneous catalysts and control of reaction pathways for selective conversion of biomass and its derivatives to bulk and fine chemicals, as well as other reactions important in renewable energy conversion and utilization.

 

Read some of his recent contributions below:

 

Efficient conversion of bio-renewable citric acid to high-value carboxylic acids on stable solid catalysts

Zhaowei Li, Xin Wen and Haichao Liu

Green Chemistry, 2022, 24, 1650-1658

 

Sustainable synthesis of vinyl methyl ether from biomass-derived ethylene glycol dimethyl ether over solid base catalysts

Xin He, Xin Wen, Ke Wu and Haichao Liu

Green Chemistry, 2021, 23, 6625-6631

 

RSC Sustainability is now open for submissions. Find out more on the journal webpage, sign up to e-Alerts or submit your manuscript now.

 

Please join us in welcoming Prof. Liu to RSC Sustainability.

Professor Vincent Nyamori joins RSC Sustainability as Associate Editor

We are delighted to welcome Professor Vincent Nyamori, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as an Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

Learn more about our new Associate Editor

Vincent Nyamori is a Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. He is the Coordinator of the UKZN Nanotechnology Platform, an Executive and Council member of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI), and a former SACI President. He is a Fellow of SACI and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is South Africa’s representative to the Federation of the Commonwealth Chemical Sciences Societies.

 

Prof. Nyamori received his PhD from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand. His research interests include Green and Sustainable Chemistry, particularly ionic liquids and renewable materials. He has extended his interest to Nanotechnology and Materials Science to develop advanced nanomaterials for water remediation, catalysis and solar energy devices.

 

Prof. Nyamori has presented his work at numerous conferences and published at least 150 journal articles, three book chapters, and one patent. In 2020, he was the SACI Merck Medal awardee for a paper published in the South African Journal of Chemistry, adjudged then to have made the most significant contribution to the discipline. He has received the UKZN Top 30 Published Researchers’ Award and the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award, recognising his exceptional research activities.

 

Read some of his recent contributions below:

 

Synthesis and characterisation of heteroatom-doped reduced graphene oxide/bismuth oxide nanocomposites and their application as photoanodes in DSSCs

Nonjabulo P.D. Ngidi, Edigar Muchuweni and Vincent O. Nyamori

RSC Advances, 2022, 12, 2462-2472

 

Tuning the properties of boron-doped reduced graphene oxide by altering the boron content

Nonjabulo P.D. Ngidi, Moses A. Ollengo and Vincent O. Nyamori

New Journal of Chemistry, 2020, 44, 16864-16876

 

RSC Sustainability is now open for submissions. Find out more on the journal webpage, sign up to e-Alerts or submit your manuscript now.

 

Please join us in welcoming Prof. Nyamori to RSC Sustainability.

UK ECCs at the 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Congress

We are coordinating the nomination of five Early Career Chemists (ECCs) from the UK to attend the 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Congress on behalf of Commonwealth Chemistry. Successful candidates will receive funding to attend the Congress in Trinidad and Tobago next May and present a poster on their research, related to one of the three scientific themes.

 

A fundamental principle of the Congress is the equal representation for all Commonwealth countries – therefore each Commonwealth country may select up to five Early Career Chemists to attend and present a poster on their research, related to one of the three scientific themes.

 

A key aspect that differentiates the Commonwealth Chemistry Congress from other scientific meetings is the underlying principle of equal representation for all Commonwealth countries and a unique focus on creating an enabling environment for early career chemists. As such, each Commonwealth country may select up to three Early Career Chemists to attend the Congress and present a poster on their research, related to one of the three scientific themes.

 

Complete and submit your application by 23 October

Professor Francesca Kerton joins RSC Sustainability as Associate Editor

We are delighted to welcome Professor Francesca Kerton, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, as an Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

Learn more about our new Associate Editor

Francesca Kerton is a professor of Chemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland and has a global reputation for her innovative research on sustainable chemistry related to the oceans. She is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry and is a member of many scientific panels and committees worldwide. She currently chairs IUPAC’s standing committee on Chemical Research Applied to World Needs, and is chair of the 27th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference.  She is an Advisory Board member for Reaction Chemistry & Engineering.

 

She obtained her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Sussex and was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of British Columbia. In addition to authoring over 70 journal articles, she has contributed several books and book chapters on aspects of green chemistry including “Alternative Solvents for Green Chemistry”. Her current research group is focused on developing environmentally friendly ways to process bio-sourced molecules and materials, catalysis, and sustainable polymers. She also performs research in the area of carbon dioxide utilization and is part of an NSERC-funded training network “Centre for Innovation and Research on Carbon Dioxide Utilization in Industrial Technologies”. She received the Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Award in 2019.

 

Read some of her recent contributions below:

 

Borane catalyzed polymerization and depolymerization reactions controlled by Lewis acidic strength

Kori A. Andrea, Mikhailey D. Wheeler and Francesca M. Kerton

Chemical Communications, 2021, 57, 7320-7322

 

Enzymatic processing of mussel shells to produce biorenewable calcium carbonate in seawater

Jennifer N. Murphy, Kelly Hawboldt and Francesca M. Kerton

Green Chemistry, 2018, 20, 2913-2920

 

RSC Sustainability is now open for submissions. Find out more on the journal webpage, sign up to e-Alerts or submit your manuscript now.

 

Please join us in welcoming Prof. Kerton to RSC Sustainability.

Dr Martin Prechtl joins RSC Sustainability as Associate Editor

We are delighted to welcome Dr Martin Prechtl, University of Lisbon, Portugal, as an Associate Editor for RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

 

Learn more about our new Associate Editor

Martin Prechtl works at the Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE) at the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon (IST-UL, Portugal). There he completed the examination for the Portuguese Habilitation in 2021 and received the “Agregação” for Chemistry (Título do Agregado). Previously he has been already an Associated Researcher at the CQE-IST-UL since 2017. Moreover, he acted as a Professor of Chemistry at Roskilde University (2018-2020, Denmark). And he has been working as Independent Group Leader at the University of Cologne (Germany) from 2010 to 2020, where he obtained the German Habilitation in 2015 and he holds the Venia Legendi in Inorganic Chemistry (“Privatdozent”).

He works on the development of molecular and nanoscale catalyst materials for the application the in organic synthesis and hydrogen/energy storage, with a focus on selective hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. This includes reactions in water, ionic liquids and multi-phase solvent systems. He gave numerous oral presentations (~140) at major (inter)national conferences and at prestigious research institutes, and published >70 articles and book chapters. He received several awards and titles, among those the NRW Scientist Returnee Award 2009, the Ernst-Haage-Prize 2014 (Max-Planck Society), FRSC (2016) and Humboldtian (2007). He acted previously as Associate Editor for RSC Advances from 2016 to 2020.

 

Read some of his recent contributions below:

 

Biometallic RuPd nanoparticles in ionic liquids: selective catalysts for the hydrogenation of aromatic compounds

Gabriel Abarca, Wellington D.G. Gonçalves, Brunno L. Albuquerque, Jairton Dupont, Martin H.G. Prechtl and Jackson D. Scholten

New Journal of Chemistry, 2021, 45, 98-103

 

Nitrile hydrogenation using nickel nanocatalysts in ionic liquids

Hannelore Konnerth and Martin H.G. Prechtl

New Journal of Chemistry, 2017, 41, 9594-9597

 

RSC Sustainability is now open for submissions. Find out more on the journal webpage, sign up to e-Alerts or submit your manuscript now.

 

Please join us in welcoming Dr Prechtl to RSC Sustainability.

Professor Tom Welton joins RSC Sustainability as Editor-in-Chief

 

We are delighted to welcome Professor Tom Welton, Imperial College London, UK, as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of RSC Sustainability, a new open access journal publishing solution-focused research to solve sustainability challenges.

 

“With UNEP’s decision to create a Science-Policy Interface for Chemicals and Waste in March 2022, the time is ripe for the creation of RSC Sustainability. I believe this new journal has the potential to become the first choice for the publication of solutions-focussed research that informs this SPI, and, beyond this, welcome all chemical science contributions to enable any of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

 

Learn more about our new Editor-in-Chief

Tom Welton is Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at Imperial College London. He has published over 150 papers and has received several awards, including various lectureships, was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, 2007) and Officer in the Order of the British Empire (OBE, 2017). From 2020 to 2022 he served as president of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a vocal champion of inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences.

 

His research focusses on Sustainable and Green Chemistry, aiming to make related industries more environmentally and economically sustainable. Throughout his career his work has focussed on the use of ionic liquids with uses in organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. He is interested in the fundamental properties of ionic liquids and how they can be used as alternative solvents or electrolytes. Tom also works on the clean synthesis and processing of biomass-derived polymers to replace petrochemical-based plastics and understanding how ionic liquids can play a role in making these processes more sustainable.

 

Read some of his recent contributions below:

 

A review on machine learning algorithms for the ionic liquid chemical space

Spyridon Koutsoukos, Frederik Philippi, Francisco Malaret and Tom Welton

Chemical Science, 2021, 12, 6820-6843

 

Investigation of the influence of natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) in the properties of chitosan-stabilised films

Antonella Rozaria Nefeli Pontillo, Spyridon Koutsoukos, Tom Welton and Anastasia Detsi

Materials Advances, 2021, 2, 3954-3964

 

Themed issue on Non-traditional solvent effects in organic reactions

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics and Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 2021

Guest Editors: Jason Harper, Barbara Kirchner, Paulina Pavez and Tom Welton

 

RSC Sustainability will open for submissions in August 2022 so make sure to sign up to receive the latest updates.

 

Please join us in welcoming Professor Welton to RSC Sustainability.

Announcing three new journals: EES Catalysis, RSC Sustainability and Sustainable Food Technology

Committed to sustainability, created for you.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is committed to supporting the chemical science community in solving global sustainability challenges. As a signatory of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Publishers Compact, we are dedicated to helping achieve the UN’s SDG goals by 2023 as well as helping you and your discoveries make the world a better place. Therefore, as part of our ongoing commitment to addressing global challenges, we are announcing three new Gold Open Access journals, each with a sustainability focus.

 

EES Catalysis publishes high quality research on energy and environmental catalysis, and delivers the same impact and influence that researchers associate with our Energy & Environmental Science brand. As a multidisciplinary platform, it will cover catalysis across chemistry, materials science, engineering and beyond. Find out more and sign up to e-Alerts here.

 

RSC Sustainability welcomes research from all subject areas that are dedicated to solving sustainability challenges for a better, greener future. It also complements the Royal Society of Chemistry’s premier sustainability journal, Green Chemistry. Find out more and sign up to e-Alerts here.

 

Sustainable Food Technology, a companion journal to Food & Function, publishes high quality sustainable research on food engineering and technologies. Key topics include food preservation methods, shelf life and the creation of greener packaging. Find out more and sign up to e-Alerts here.

 

Dr Emma Wilson, Royal Society of Chemistry Director of Publishing, said: “While the scale and seriousness of these many sustainability challenges is undoubtedly urgent, we know that scientists from around the globe are already working on innovative, ground-breaking solutions, working together and sharing ideas. I’m enthusiastic about our Royal Society of Chemistry journals taking this important step to enable them to further their work.”
Professor Tom Welton, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “As a global society we are facing urgent and pressing challenges, from rising sea levels to impacts on food production. There is increasing pressure on scarce resources such as the precious elements required for medicine, technology, and sustainable energy, and we’re facing unprecedented levels of pollution in the natural environment and in our air. That’s why I’m proud that the Royal Society of Chemistry is leading the way by expanding their sustainability journals portfolio with these three new journals – providing a home for even more cutting-edge research to help tackle the urgent issues facing us all.”

All three new journals will be Gold Open Access from launch, offering readers no barriers to reading the published work, ensuring research can reach a global readership. Additionally, all article processing charges (APCs) are waived until-2025. All journals will open for submissions in summer 2022.

 

Sign up for news from
EES Catalysis
Sign up for news from
RSC Sustainability
Sign up for news from
Sustainable Food Technology