by Mina Marie Mitani

 Environmental Movement
 Green Chemistry
 Importance
 Areas of Research
 Programs and Partnerships
 Conclusions

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Public Awareness
• No regulations
• Publications of effects and consequences
Pattern
• Effects
• Outcry
• Laws and regulations

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“Dilution is solution”
Pollution Prevention Act
– option of first choice
– national policy of US
“Alternative Synthetic Pathways for Pollution
Prevention”
– design synthesis of chemicals for PP
– collaborations, voluntary partnerships

 Approaches in recent past:
– Reduction of risk of manufacturing and use
– Innovative chemistries to treat wastes and remediate sites
– New monitoring and analytical tools for detection in air, water, soils
– New handling and containment procedures to minimize exposure

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Carrying out chemical activities, including chemical design, manufacture, use, and disposal, such that hazardous substances will not be used and generated
Tool in accomplishing Pollution Prevention
Encompasses all aspects and types of chemical processes to reduce impacts

 Green chemistry is the use of chemistry for pollution prevention
 Design of chemical products and processes that are more environmentally benign
 Reduction or elimination of the use or generation of hazardous substances associated with a particular synthesis or process

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2 billion lbs. of chemicals were released to air land and water (USEPA) in 1994
Data includes only 365 of 70,000 chemicals available in commerce
Environmental and hazardous wastes operations => economic burden
– environmental expenditures : cost of doing business
– 100-150 billion $ / year for remediation in US alone
– shift financial resources from costs to research & development
Promise of Green Chemistry to lower overall costs associated with environmental health and safety

 Feedstocks / Starting Materials
 Reagents or Transformations
 Reaction Conditions
 Final Product
– inter-related, separated for incremental improvements

 select and utilize more benign starting materials
– reduction in amount used
– reduction of intrinsic toxicity through structural modification / replacement
 risks can be reduced through protective gear and control techniques, but GC may be more cost effective and safer

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Alternative Synthetic Pathways Award
Flexsys America L.P.
New Process for 4-Aminodiphenylamine
Academic Award
Terrence J. Collins
Carnegie Mellon University
TAML™ Oxidant Activators: General Activation of
Hydrogen Peroxide for Green Oxidation Technologies
Eliminate use of acids to break initial bonds
Phosgene replacement

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Assessment of the hazard of reagent
Evaluation of synthetic transformation associated with use of specific reagents
– determine product sensitivity
– reaction efficiency
Improve reaction efficiency
Reduce needed quantity
– eg. Choose catalytic reagent to stoichiometric reagent

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Use of visible light as reagent
Alternative Synthetic Pathways Award
Lilly Research Laboratories
Practical Application of a Biocatalyst in Pharmaceutical
Manufacturing
Dr. Karen M. Draths
Professor John W. Frost
Michigan State University
Use of Microbes as Environmentally-Benign Synthetic Catalysts
Academic Award
Terrence J. Collins
Carnegie Mellon University
TAML™ Oxidant Activators: General Activation of Hydrogen
Peroxide for Green Oxidation Technologies

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Reduce or eliminate solvents used in reaction media, separations, formulations
– use of supercritical fluids as solvents
– able to tune supercritical fluids by choosing critical region to conduct chemistry
Use aqueous solvent systems in place of organic solvents in chemical manufacturing
Use Supercritical CO
2 as a solvent
Reduce operating temperatures
Must evaluate impact on case by case basis

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Alternative Solvents and Reaction Conditions Award
Nalco Chemical Company
The Development and Commercialization of ULTIMER ®® : The
First of a New Family of Water Soluble Polymer Dispersions
Alternative Solvents/Reaction Conditions Award
Argonne National Laboratory
Novel Membrane-Based Process for Producing Lactate Esters.
Nontoxic Replacements for Halogenated and Toxic Solvents
Alternative Solvents/Reaction Conditions Award
Imation
Dry View™ Imaging Systems
Alternative Solvents/Reaction Conditions Award
The Dow Chemical Company
The Development and Commercial Implementation of 100
Percent Carbon Dioxide as an Environmentally Friendly Blowing
Agent for the Polystyrene Foam Packaging Market

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Identify part of molecule that is providing intended use and part of molecule responsible for toxicity or other hazards
Reduce toxicity w/o sacrificing efficacy of function
– eliminate toxic functional groups
– make molecule less bioavailable
Pharmaceutical and pesticide manufacturing
Change or replace products

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Designing Safer Chemicals Award
Rohm and Haas Company
Designing an Environmentally Safe Marine Antifoulant
Small Business Award
Legacy Systems Incorporated
Coldstrip™, A Revolutionary Organic Removal and Wet
Cleaning Technology
Designing Safer Chemicals Award
Albright and Wilson Americas
THPS Biocides: A New Class of Antimicrobial Chemistry
Designing Safer Chemicals Award
Rohm and Haas Company
The Invention and Commercialization of a New Chemical Family of Insecticides Exemplified by CONFIRM™ Insecticide

 EPA Green Chemistry Program
– fosters research, development, implementation of innovative chemical technologies for pollution prevention in BOTH a scientifically sound and cost effective manner
– Supports fundamental chemical research, educational activities, international meetings and conferences, toll development, in partnership with academia, industry and other agencies

 Scientific organizations
 Industry
 Trade associations
 Academia
 Government
 National Labs
 Research centers
 Environmental groups
 International organizations

 Identifies opportunities to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances
 Suggests molecular modifications to minimize toxicity
 Technical information on green synthesis
 Database of useful green chemistry references

 Goal of benign chemistry
– synthesizing classes of chemicals
– developing reaction types (stereo-specific)
 Dramatic increase in funding, with support expected to continue
 Green chemistry research conducted in labs in academia, industry, and government around the world