Green Chemistry and Biosurfactant Research - Biosurfactants: Research Trends and Applications - page 5

preventing waste from being formed in the first place (Anastas and Kirchoff, 2002).
In 1991, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics in the USEPA launched the
first research initiative of the Green Chemistry Program, the Alternative Synthetic
Pathways research solicitation. Foundational work in chemistry and engineering at
the National Science Foundation's program on Environmentally Benign Syntheses
and Processes was launched in 1992 and formed a partnership with the EPA through
a Memorandum of Understanding the same year. In 1993, the EPA program officially
adopted the name “U.S. Green Chemistry Program.” Since its inception, the U.S.
Green Chemistry Program has served as a focal point for major activities within the
United States, such as the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards and the
annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. The first award was presented
to Barry M. Trost in 1998 for introducing the concept of atom economy that looks
at utilized and wasted atoms in a reaction. In Italy, a multiuniversity consortium
(INCA) featured research on green chemistry as one of its central themes. During
the last half of the decade, Japan organized the Green and Sustainable Chemistry
Network, with an emphasis on promoting research and development on green and
sustainable chemistry. The inaugural edition of the journal Green Chemistry , spon-
sored by the Royal Society of Chemistry, appeared in 1999.
CURRENT RESEARCH
The activities in green chemistry research, education, industrial implementation,
awards, and outreach are all based on the fundamental definition of green chemistry.
Green chemistry can be utilized anywhere in the life cycle, from feedstock origins
to beyond end of useful life (Anastas and Kirchoff, 2002). The following section
addresses some illustrations where success has been achieved to fulfill the principles
of green chemistry.
Bio-based feedstocks : Bio-based feedstocks present several advantages over petro-
leum-based sources. Biomass-derived carbohydrates are more highly functionalized
than hydrocarbon sources, minimizing the need for oxidative chemistry that often
requires the use of toxic heavy metals. New crops can provide a continuous supply of
raw materials (Kirchoff, 2003). Cargill Dow manufactures Nature Works polylactic
acid (PLA) from renewable resources, such as corn and sugar beets. The manufac-
turing process uses no organic solvents, and the final product is biodegradable, com-
postable, and recyclable. Products made from PLA can be hydrolyzed with water to
lactic acid, yielding prime polymer following purification and polymerization. PLA
fibers perform as well as petroleum-based polymers in consumer goods, including
beverage containers, food packaging, and clothing.
Reagents : Alcohols are commonly oxidized to carbonyl compounds using heavy
metals such as chromium (VI). The Collins group has designed a series of catalysts
that activate hydrogen peroxide to bleach wood pulp (Collins et al., 2002). Termed
tetra-amido macrocyclic ligand activators, these catalysts are selective, are effective
over a wide pH range, consume less energy, and eliminate the problem of chlorinated
by-products. This technology has applications in the pulp and paper industry, which
is gradually shifting toward better reagents for pulp delignification and bleaching.