Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Winners - Text of Podcasts
2014
2014 Greener Synthetic Pathways Award Podcast - Text
Solazyme, Inc.
-Tailored Oils Produced from Microalgal Fermentation
I’m Dr. Richard Engler of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Solazyme, Inc. was selected as the 2014 winner of EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. The title of this project is: Tailored Oils Produced from Microalgal Fermentation.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology.
Vegetable oils derived from plants can replace petroleum as building blocks for many industrial chemicals. Solazyme has engineered microalgae to produce oils tailored to customers’ needs that can mimic or enhance properties of traditional vegetable oils. These micro-algae-derived oils are consistent regardless of season, geographic origin, and feedstock source.
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2014 Greener Reaction Conditions Podcast - Text
QD Vision, Inc.
- Greener Quantum Dot Synthesis for Energy Efficient Display and Lighting Products
I’m Dr. Richard Engler of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. QD Vision, Inc. was selected as the 2014 winners of EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Reaction Conditions category. The title of this project is: Greener Quantum Dot Synthesis for Energy Efficient Display and Lighting Products.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology.
QD Vision makes higher-quality quantum dots—nanoscale LED components—using an innovative greener process. These quantum dots make possible cost-effective full-spectrum color in flat-screen displays and solid-state lighting. Historically, making quantum dots involved hazardous chemicals and low yields. QD Vision’s process increases efficiency, uses less hazardous building blocks, and eliminates nearly 40,000 gallons of highly toxic solvent each year.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2014 Small Business Award Podcast - Text
Amyris
-Farnesane: a Breakthrough Renewable Hydrocarbon for Use as Diesel and Jet Fuel
I’m Dr. Richard Engler of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Amyris was selected as the 2014 winner of EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Small Business category. The title of this project is: Farnesane: a Breakthrough Renewable Hydrocarbon for Use as Diesel and Jet Fuel.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology.
Renewable fuels are needed to help achieve global sustainability. Amyris took a step toward this goal by engineering yeast to make a chemical called farnesene instead of ethanol. Farnesene is a building block hydrocarbon that can be converted into a renewable, drop-in replacement for petroleum diesel without certain drawbacks of first-generation biofuels. Use of Amyris’s renewable diesel may produce 82 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than use of petroleum diesel.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2014 Academic Award Podcast - Text
Professor Shannon S. Stahl, University of Wisconsin-Madison
-Aerobic Oxidation Methods for Pharmaceutical Synthesis
I’m Dr. Richard Engler of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Professor Shannon S. Stahl of the University of Wisconsin-Madison was selected as the 2014 winner of EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic category. The title of this project is: Aerobic Oxidation Methods for Pharmaceutical Synthesis.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology.
Oxidation reactions are widely used in the production of organic chemicals, but they often form wasteful byproducts. Professor Stahl has developed catalytic methods that replace hazardous chemicals with oxygen from air as an environmentally benign oxidant. The methods operate under mild conditions, can be performed safely on a large scale, and are highly selective, even with complex building blocks for pharmaceuticals, potentially saving time and money and reducing hazardous waste.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2012
2012 Greener Synthetic Pathways Award Podcast - Text
Codexis, Inc.
Professor Yi Tang of the University of California, Los Angeles
-A greener synthesis of a leading cholesterol drug
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Codexis, Inc. and Professor Yi Tang of University of California, Los Angeles were selected together as the 2012 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. The title of this project is: An Efficient Biocatalytic Process to Manufacture Simvastatin.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Simvastatin, a leading drug for treating high cholesterol, is manufactured from a natural product. The traditional multistep synthesis was wasteful and used large amounts of hazardous reagents. Professor Tang conceived a synthesis using an engineered enzyme and a practical low-cost feedstock. Codexis optimized both the enzyme and the chemical process. The resulting process greatly reduces hazard and waste, is cost-effective and meets the needs of customers. Some manufacturers in Europe and India use this process to make simvastatin.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2012 Greener Reaction Conditions Podcast - Text
Cytec Industries Inc.
- Improving efficiency of aluminum production
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Cytec Industries Inc. was selected as the 2012 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Reaction Conditions category. The title of this project is: MAX HT™ Bayer Sodalite Scale Inhibitor.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. The "Bayer process" converts bauxite to alumina, the raw material for making aluminum. Mineral scale deposited on the heat exchangers and pipes in Bayer process plants increases energy use. Removing the scale requires stopping production and cleaning with sulfuric acid. Cytec's product hinders scale growth. Eighteen plants worldwide are using MAX HT™ inhibitor, saving trillions of Btu (British thermal units) annually. Fewer cleaning cycles also reduce hazardous acid waste by millions of pounds annually.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2012 Designing Greener Chemicals Award Podcast - Text
Buckman International, Inc.
- Better paper without chemical additives.
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Buckman International, Inc. was selected as the 2012 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Designing Greener Chemicals category. The title of this project is: Enzymes Reduce the Energy and Wood Fiber Required to Manufacture High-Quality Paper and Paperboard.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Traditionally, making strong paper required costly wood pulp, energy-intensive treatment, or chemical additives. But that may change. Buckman's Maximyze® enzymes modify the cellulose in wood to increase the number of "fibrils" that bind the wood fibers to each other, thus making paper with improved strength and quality -- without additional chemicals or energy. Buckman's process also allows papermaking with less wood fiber and higher percentages of recycled paper, enabling a single plant to save $1 million per year.
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2012 Small Business Award Podcast - Text
Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc.
-Making specialty chemicals from vegetable oils.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Elevance employs Nobel-prize-winning catalyst technology to break down natural oils and recombine the fragments into novel, high-performance green chemicals. These chemicals combine the benefits of both petrochemicals and biobased chemicals. The technology consumes significantly less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to petrochemical technologies. Elevance is producing specialty chemicals for many uses, such as highly concentrated cold-water detergents that provide better cleaning with reduced energy costs.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2012 Academic Award Podcast - Text
Professor Robert M. Waymouth of Stanford University
Dr. James L. Hedrick of IBM Almaden Research Center
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Professor Robert M. Waymouth of Stanford University and Dr. James L. Hedrick of the IBM Almaden Research Center were selected together as a 2012 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic category. The title of this project is: Organic Catalysis: A Broadly Useful Strategy for Green Polymer Chemistry.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Traditional metal catalysts required to synthesize polyesters and other common plastics end up trapped in the plastic, raising human health and environmental concerns. Professor Waymouth and Dr. Hedrick discovered an array of alternatives—metal-free catalysts—that are highly active and able to make a wide variety of plastics. Their discoveries include catalysts that can depolymerize plastic and enable cradle-to-cradle recycling.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2012 Academic Award Podcast - Text
Professor Geoffrey W. Coates of Cornell University
-Catalysts to make polymers from carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Professor Geoffrey W. Coates of Cornell University was selected as a 2012 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic category. The title of this project is: Synthesizing Biodegradable Polymers from Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide derived from biomass or other carbon sources are ideal feedstocks for chemicals, but there had been no efficient way to make them into valuable polymers. Professor Coates developed a family of catalysts that convert carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into polymers. Novomer, Inc. is using his discoveries to develop a range of innovative, high-performance products, including can and coil coatings, adhesives, foams, and plastics.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2011
2011 Greener Synthetic Pathways Award Podcast - Text
Genomatica
- Production of Basic Chemicals from Renewable Feedstocks at Lower Cost
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Genomatica was selected as the 2011 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. The title of this project is: Production of High-Volume Chemicals from Renewable Feedstocks at Lower Cost.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) is a high-volume chemical building block used to make many common polymers, such as spandex. Using sophisticated genetic engineering, Genomatica has developed a microbe that makes BDO by fermenting sugars. When produced at commercial scale, Genomatica's Bio-BDO will be less expensive, require about 60 percent less energy, and produce 70 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than BDO made from natural gas. Genomatica is partnering with major companies to bring Bio-BDO to the market.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2011 Greener Reaction Conditions Award Podcast - Text
Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc
-NEXARTM Polymer Membrane Technology
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. was selected as the 2011 winners of EPA&'s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Reaction Conditions category. The title of this project is: NEXARTM Polymer Membrane Technology.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Purification of salt water by reverse osmosis is one of the highest-volume uses of membrane filtration. Kraton has developed a family of halogen-free, high-flow, polymer membranes made using less solvent. The biggest benefits are during use: A reverse osmosis plant using NEXARTM membranes can purify hundreds of times more water than one using traditional membranes, save 70 percent in membrane costs, and save 50 percent in energy costs.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2011 Designing Greener Chemicals Award Podcast - Text
The Sherwin-Williams Company
-Water-based Acrylic Alkyd Technology
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. The Sherwin-Williams Company was selected as the 2011 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Designing Greener Chemicals category. The title of this project is: Water-based Acrylic Alkyd Technology.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Oil-based "alkyd" paints have high levels of volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) that become air pollutants as the paint dries. Previous acrylic paints contained lower VOCs, but could not match the performance of alkyds. Sherwin-Williams developed water-based acrylic alkyd paints with low VOCs that can be made from recycled soda bottle plastic (PET), acrylics, and soybean oil. These paints combine the performance benefits of alkyds and low VOC content of acrylics. In 2010, Sherwin-Williams manufactured enough of these new paints to eliminate over 800,000 pounds of VOCs.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2011 Small Business Award Podcast - Text
BioAmber, Inc.
-Integrated Production and Downstream Applications of Biobased Succinic Acid
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. BioAmber, Inc. was selected as the 2011 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Small Business category. The title of this project is: Integrated Production and Downstream Applications of Biobased Succinic Acid.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Succinic acid is a true "platform molecule," that is, a starting material for other important chemicals, but the high cost of producing succinic acid from fossil fuels has restricted its use. Now, however, BioAmber is producing succinic acid that is both renewable and lower cost by combining an E. coli biocatalyst licensed from the Department of Energy with a novel purification process. BioAmber’s process uses 60 percent less energy than succinic acid made from fossil fuels, offers a smaller carbon footprint, and costs 40 percent less.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2011 Academic Award Podcast - Text
Professor Bruce H. Lipshutz of the University of California, Santa Barbara
-Towards Ending Our Dependence on Organic Solvents
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Professor Bruce H. Lipshutz of the University of California, Santa Barbara was selected as the 2011 winner of EPA''s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic category. The title of this project is: Towards Ending Our Dependence on Organic Solvents.
Most chemical manufacturing processes rely on organic solvents, which tend to be volatile, toxic, and flammable. Chemical manufacturers use billions of pounds of organic solvents each year, much of which becomes waste. Water itself cannot replace organic solvents as the medium for chemical reactions because many chemicals do not dissolve and do not react in water. Professor Lipshutz has designed a safe surfactant that forms tiny droplets in water. Organic chemicals dissolve in these droplets and react efficiently, allowing water to replace organic solvents.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2010
2010 Greener Synthetic Pathways Award podcast Award Podcast - Text
The Dow Chemical Company
BASF
-Clean Catalytic Process to Make Propylene Oxide
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. The Dow Chemical Company and BASF were selected as the 2010 winners of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. The title of this project is: Innovative, Environmentally Benign Production of Propylene Oxide via Hydrogen Peroxide.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Propylene oxide is one of the biggest volume industrial chemicals in the world. It is a chemical building block for a vast array of products including detergents, polyurethanes, de-icers, food additives, and personal care items and many others. Its manufacture creates byproducts, including a significant amount of waste. Dow and BASF have jointly developed a new route to make propylene oxide via hydrogen peroxide that eliminates most of the waste, and greatly reduces water and energy use.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2010 Greener Reaction Conditions Award Podcast - Text
Merck & Co., Inc.
Codexis, Inc
- Enzymes and Solvents to Manufacture Pharmaceuticals
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Merck and Codexis were selected together as the 2010 winners of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Reaction Conditions category. The title of this project is: Greener Manufacturing of Sitagliptin Enabled by an Evolved Transaminase.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Merck and Codexis have developed a second-generation green synthesis of sitagliptin, the active ingredient in JanuviaTM, a treatment for type 2 diabetes. This collaboration has lead to an enzymatic process that reduces waste, improves yield and safety, and eliminates the need for a metal catalyst. Early research suggests that the new biocatalysts will be useful in manufacturing other drugs as well.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2010 Designing Greener Chemicals Award Podcast - Text
Clarke
- Environmentally Friendly Mosquito Larvicide
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Clarke was selected as the 2010 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Designing Greener Chemicals category. The title of this project is: NatularTM Larvicide: Adapting Spinosad for Next-Generation Mosquito Control.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Spinosad is an environmentally safe pesticide but is not stable in water and so therefore cannot be used to control mosquito larvae. Clarke has developed a way to encapsulate spinosad in a plaster matrix, allowing it to be released slowly in water and provide effective control of mosquito larvae. This pesticide, NatularTM, replaces organophosphates and other traditional, toxic pesticides and is approved for use in certified organic farming.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2010 Small Business Award Podcast - Text
LS9, Inc.
- Engineered Biorefineries
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. LS9, Incorporated was selected as the 2010 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Small Business category. The title of this project is: Microbial Production of Renewable Petroleum Fuels and Chemicals.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Industrial microbes usually make a single substance, such as triglycerides, much like vegetable oil. That single substance is then purified and converted into other chemicals, such as biodiesel fuel. LS9 has genetically engineered a variety of microorganisms to act like refineries. Each microbe makes a specific, final chemical product. Among these products is UltraCleanTM diesel. This fuel, produced from biomass, eliminates the benzene, sulfur, and heavy metals found in petroleum-based diesel.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2010 Academic Award Podcast - Text
James C. Liao, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles
Easel Biotechnologies, LLC
- Converting Carbon Dioxide to Fuels
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Dr. James C. Liao of Easel Biotechnologies, LLC and the University of California, Los Angeles was selected as the 2010 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic category. The title of this project is: Recycling Carbon Dioxide to Biosynthesize Higher Alcohols.
Let me tell you about this award-winning technology. Ethanol made by fermentation can be used as a fuel additive, but its use is limited by its low energy content. "Higher" alcohols (those with more than two carbons in the molecule) have higher energy content, but naturally occurring microorganisms do not produce them. Dr. Liao and his colleagues have genetically engineered microorganisms to make higher alcohols from glucose or directly from carbon dioxide. His work makes renewable higher alcohols available for use as chemical building blocks or as fuel.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2009
2009 Greener Synthetic Pathways Award Podcast - Text
Eastman Cheimical Company
- Making Cosmetic Ingredients Safely
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Eastman Chemical Company was selected as the 2009 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. The title of this project is: Solvent-Free, Biocatalytic Process for Cosmetic and Personal Care Ingredients.
Let me tell you a little more about this award-winning technology. Esters are an important class of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products. Usually, they are manufactured by harsh chemical methods that use strong acids and potentially hazardous solvents; these methods also require a great deal of energy. Eastman's new method uses enzymes to make esters, saving energy and avoiding both strong acids and organic solvents. This method is so gentle that Eastman can make esters that would not stand up to the traditional methods, so were never before commercially available.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2009 Greener Reaction Conditions Award Podcast - Text
CEM Corporation
- Efficient Test for Food Protein
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. CEM Corporation was selected as the 2009 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Greener Reaction Conditions category. The title of this project is: Innovative Analyzer that Tags Proteins for Fast, Accurate Results without Hazardous Chemicals or High Temperatures.
Let me tell you a little more about this award-winning technology. Each year, laboratories test millions of samples of food for their protein content. Such tests generally use a large amount of hazardous substances and energy. CEM has developed a fast, automative process that uses less toxic reagents and less energy. The new system can eliminate five-and-a-half million pounds of hazardous wastes generated by traditional testing in the United States each year. What's more, it distinguishes protein from other chemicals that may taint food, such as melamine.
Read the full summary to learn more about this innovation.
2009 Designing Greener Chemicals Award Podcast - Text
The Procter & Gamble Company
Cook Composites and Polymers Company (Chempol® technology acquired by Arkema Coating Resins)
- High-Gloss, Low-Odor Paints
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Two companies, Proctor & Gamble jointly with Cook Composites & Polymers, were selected as the 2009 winners of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Designing Greener Chemicals category. The title of this project is: Chempol® MPS Resins and Sefose® Sucrose Esters that Allow High-Performing, Low- VOC Alkyd Paints and Coatings.
Let me tell you a little more about this technology. Conventional oil-based "alkyd" paints provide durable, high-gloss coatings but use hazardous solvents to achieve a smooth, finished look. Proctor & Gamble and Cook Composites and Polymers were developing innovative Chempol® MPS paints formulations using vegetable-based Sefose® oils to replace petroleum-based solvents. Sefose® oils, made from sugar and vegetable oil, enable new high-performance alkyd paints with less than half the solvent. Paints with less hazardous solvent will help improve worker safety, reduce fumes indoors as the paint dries, and improve air quality while still providing a high-quality painted surface.
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2009 Small Business Award Podcast - Text
Virent Energy Systems, Inc.
- Hydrocarbon Fuels from Plant Sugars
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Virent Energy Systems, Incorporated was selected as the 2009 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Small Business Category. The title of this project is: BioForming® Process: The Catalytic Conversion of Plant Sugars into Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels.
Let me tell you a little more about this award-winning technology. Virent's BioForming® process is a water-based, catalytic method to make gasoline, diesel, or jet fuels from sugar, starch, or cellulosic plants. This process requires little energy other than the plant biomass. The process is flexible and can be modified to generate different fuels based on current market conditions. It can compete economically with current prices for conventional petroleum-based fuels. Of course, using plants, a renewable resource, helps reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
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2009 Academic Award Podcast - Text
Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski of Carnegie Mellon University
- Making Polymers a New, Green Way
I'm Dr. Richard Engler of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Professor Krzysztof Mata-chef-ski of Carnegie Mellon University was selected as the 2009 winner of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Academic Category. The title of this project is: Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: A Low-impact Polymerization Using a Copper Catalyst and Environmentally Friendly Reducing Agents.
Let me tell you a little more about this award-winning technology. Hazardous chemicals are often required to make polymers used in lubricants, adhesives, coatings, and many other products. Professor Matyjaszewski developed an alternative process called "Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization" or ATRP to make these polymers. The process uses chemicals that are environmentally friendly, such as vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. It also requires less catalyst. ATRP has been licensed to manufacturers throughout the world, reducing risks from hazardous chemicals.
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