The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards have been presented annually since 1996 to recognize businesses and individuals who have discovered innovative ways to significantly reduce pollution at its sources. Nominations for the awards are judged by an independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, on behalf of a group of stakeholders from government, industry, academia and the non-profit sector.
This year's winners have developed innovative processes that offer new solutions to the agriculture, textile, automobile, paper, and water treatment industries - some with the potential to improve earnings as well as the environment.
The 30 previous recipients of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards have made a significant impact in reducing and preventing pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year the new technologies of the past winners have eliminated the need for 10.8 million pounds of solid and two million liters of liquid hazardous chemical use; 208 million liters of water use and the associated waste water treatment; and 88.9 trillion BTUs of energy.
The 2001 award recipients and their achievements follow.
EDEN Bioscience Corporation (Bothell, Wash.) developed technology that allows farmers to naturally stimulate plant growth and defenses without altering its DNA. The product, Messenger®, has been demonstrated on more than 40 crops to help protect against pests and diseases, to substantially enhance yields and improve quality, and to reduce reliance on conventional agricultural chemicals.
PPG Industries (Cleveland, Oh., Allison Park and Pittsburgh, Pa.) developed a safer, water-based yttrium coating to replace traditional lead coatings in automobile primers. The coating resists corrosion and provides a smooth surface for painting, while potentially eliminating one million pounds of toxic lead and significant amounts of chrome and nickel from a major industrial use.
Novozymes North America (Franklin, N.C.) developed its BioPreparation™ enzymatic process to treat cotton textiles prior to dyeing and finishing. The economical and environmentally sound technology replaces conventional chemical "scouring" of cotton fibers and fabrics, a process that uses a strong base at high temperature followed by neutralization with acid.
Bayer Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Bayer AG (Leverkusen Germany) developed a readily biodegradable and environmentally friendly chemical that can be used in a wide variety of applications, including household and industrial cleaners, water treatment, and pulp and paper processing. This chemical is manufactured via a waste free process while avoiding limiting factors associated with current commercially available products which typically use hydrogen cyanide in their production process.
Professor Chao-Jun Li (Tulane University, New Orleans, La.) developed simpler, cheaper and more environmentally benign processes for organic chemistry. Reactions can be done in water or in open air containers with fewer steps and fewer chemicals than traditional industrial processes.