For the 16th year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized chemical technologies developed by researchers and industrial innovators who are making contributions to pollution prevention.
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards recognize the design of safer and more sustainable chemicals, processes, and products that will protect Americans, particularly children, from exposure to harmful chemicals. Winners were recognized on June 20, 2011 at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of EPA’s efforts in what would become the creation of green chemistry. Green chemistry, also known as sustainable chemistry, is 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.
“EPA congratulates this year’s winners for designing and developing innovative green chemistry technologies that will result in safer chemicals for use in products, homes, schools, and workplaces that also have significant environmental and economic benefits,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards are bestowed in five categories. The 2011 award winners are:
- Designing Greener Chemicals: The Sherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland, OH (for Water-based Acrylic Alkyd Technology)
- Small Business: BioAmber, Inc., Plymouth, MN (Integrated Production and Downstream Applications of Biobased Succinic Acid)
- Greener Synthetic Pathways: Genomatica, San Diego, CA (for Production of Basic Chemicals from Renewable Feedstocks at Lower Cost)
- Greener Reaction Conditions: Kraton Performance Polymers, LLC, Houston, TX (for NEXARTM Polymer Membrane Technology)
- Academic: Bruce H. Lipshutz, PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara (Towards Ending Our Dependence on Organic Solvents)
An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute selected the 2011 winners from among scores of nominated technologies.
Founding partners of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge are: American Chemical Society (ACS); American Chemistry Council; American Petroleum Institute (API); The BF Goodrich Company (now Goodrich Corporation); Council for Chemical Research (CCR); The Dow Chemical Company; Dow Corning Corporation; DuPont; Eastman Kodak Company; Environmental Council of the States (ECOS); National Research Council (NRC); Polaroid Corporation; Rochester Midland Corporation; Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI); Solutia; The University of Alabama; and U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
