Saves energy and water
Local professor wins presidential award
Washington, D.C. - Professor Terrence J. Collins of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge award today for developing TAML(tm) activators, catalysts that eliminate the use of chlorine in bleaching procedures for the pulp and paper industry, and promise improvement for the laundry industry. The awards were presented to five companies or individuals from a nationwide pool.
The technique eliminates the formation of hazardous chlorinated pollutants such as dioxin and provides energy saving as wood pulp bleaching occurs at a lower temperature. "Green chemistry" is chemistry designed to reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. TAML (tetraamido-macrocyclic ligand activators), a series of iron-based peroxide activators, act as environmentally-friendly, non-toxic catalysts in two ways.
In the pulp and paper industry, TAML activators enhance the action of hydrogen peroxide in wood pulp delignification, thereby eliminating the need for chlorine. This new technique offers potential energy savings as the first low-temperature hydrogen peroxide delignification process, according to Collins.
He says TAML activators also have applications in the laundry field, as most household bleaches are peroxide-based. The catalysts inhibit dye transfer among articles of clothing, paving the way for washing machines that use less water. They also improve stain-removal properties of detergents. Research is continuing into the water purification potential of TAML(tm) activators, an application with global applications.
"Chemists must move chemical technology closer to the natural process," said Collins. "Only then will chemical technology eliminate the bulk of chemical toxicity."
An independent panel of experts chose the winners as demonstrating practical as well as innovative ways to significantly reduce pollution at its sources. The panel is selected by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, as part of its participation in the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the awards. Now in its fourth year, the awards program is part of President Clinton's Reinventing Environmental Regulations Initiative to encourage public-private partners to create innovative ways to protect the environment without the need for regulatory controls. The EPA, in participation with the National Science Foundation, also funds about $7 million annually for research grants dedicated to green chemistry.
Peter D. Robertson, Acting Deputy Administrator for the U.S. EPA, presented the awards during a ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of nearly 159,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.