The recent global events, including the global pandemic and Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, led to unprecedented market volatility and food supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, the Russia-Ukraine conflict also sent fertilizer market indices to unprecedented levels because of disruptions in their production and distribution networks. Increases in nitrogen fertilizer production costs can be attributed, among other things, to the energy cost of atmospheric nitrogen fixation, which is estimated to be from 1% to 2% of global energy consumption. Nitrogen fertilizers are produced from natural gas and air while large amounts of nitrogen-containing anthropogenic waste are already available that can potentially substitute and decrease natural gas use. The quantification of the potentially usable waste amounts available, as well as the methods of extraction of nitrogen from waste and conversion into green fertilizers on a large scale, are lacking systematic description as the current focus was mostly on phosphorus, not nitrogen, sustainability.

Nitrogen, however, is very volatile and presents a set of very different challenges from the sustainability perspective. These include N₂O emissions, NO₃– escaping into the surrounding water and, in general, very poor sustainability of the agricultural nitrogen cycle. As Galloway noted already in 2002 (https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-31.2.64) the useful yield of nitrogen fertilizers obtained via conventional synthesis is about 4 %, e.g. only 4 atoms out of 100 reach are consumed as intended with the largest share of 47% lost after the application. This presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities for sustainable chemistry and engineering.

The proposed symposium hence will entertain the topics surrounding nitrogen fertilizer sustainable production including waste resource availability and properties, sustainable solid or liquid nitrogen fertilizer product synthesis methods, the routes of nitrogen loss in the environment and emerging methods to minimize that loss.

Symposium Organizers

Prof. Jonas Baltrusaitis, Lehigh University
Clinton Williams, USDA-ARS, US Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center
Prof. Margaret Sobkowicz-Kline, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Globally, one million non-degradable plastic bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used every year. Approximately 10 million metric tons of plastics leak into our oceans annually, in addition to the 200 million metric tons that already circulate the marine environments. Therefore, the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of our biobased resources, processes and products is becoming central to the emerging circular bioeconomy as a worldwide strategy to minimize the use of fossil, oil-derived resources.

The pulp and paper industry has joined the global movement toward cleaner and greener products in their effort to transition to forest biorefineries. The pulp and paper mills are most suited for biorefinery large-scale developments for a few reasons:

1. They are located near the forest biomass and have existing infrastructure to transport the raw materials and finished products; in fact, the pulp and paper industry has the world s largest non-food biomass collection system.
2. Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, the three major components of wood, are the most abundant renewable polymers on earth with unique structures and properties that can serve as starting material for bioproduct development;
3. Workforce is highly trained and capable of operating energy and biorefinery systems.  The development of new and sustainable products through reduction of waste, greenhouse gas emissions and energy use would support the closed loop economy and reduce the overall environmental impact across the global chemical enterprise.

However, there are difficulties facing the biorefinery deployment today, such as acceptance in the present market of the fossil-based economy, composition and availability of feedstock needed to meet the market demand, efficiency of the resource recovery, techno-economic viability, and sustainability. For example, more than 50 million tons of lignin are produced worldwide annually, of which 98% is incinerated as low-cost fuel and only 2% utilized in the production of chemicals and materials. Likewise, hemicellulose is another underutilized biorefinery feedstock derived during the wood pulping process and burned in the recovery boilers, despite its low calorific value, which is half that of lignin.

The growing markets and demand for biobased products, more stringent environmental policies, and economic returns of the biorefinery products are steadily increasing the R&D efforts to evaluate and scale up the large spectrum of promising industrial applications, including new biodegradable materials with novel properties and unique functionalities, bioplastics and coatings, biobased hydrogels and aerogels, eco-friendly textile fibers, biomedical/pharmaceutical materials for implants, tablets, prebiotics and antioxidants, renewable flocculants,  dispersants, carbon fibers, adhesives and binders, transportation fuels, etc. The potential of biobased materials to displace the use of their synthetic counterparts is enormous, exceeding 500 billion dollars  worth of products for the packaging, apparel, automotive, electronics, and consumer goods industries (Table 1).

Table 1. Potential of biobased materials to replace fossil-derived products in five major industry sectors*

To provide long-term solutions for generations to come, the biorefinery products should be renewable, recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. The focus of this symposium will be on the green chemistry and engineering of sustainable bioproducts that address the growing needs of our biobased society employing the principles of the circular bioeconomy.

Organizers

Dr. Christopher Lew

Nominal Sponsor

Cellulose and Renewable Materials (CELL)

The Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference attracts students who are, or will become, the next generation of leaders in the community of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering. For students, the unique size and collaborative atmosphere of this conference makes it an excellent opportunity to broaden their understanding of research in green chemistry and engineering, and grow their network of contacts in this community. Amongst other learning and networking opportunities available at the GC&E conference, we propose this Careers in Green Chemistry and Engineering for a Sustainable Future symposium.

We envision this program will fill an unmet need for a dedicated informative session focused on the numerous career paths available to students under the general umbrella of green chemistry and engineering. This symposium will demonstrate the advantages that a green chemistry and engineering background has in the eyes of an employer. It is common for students involved in this community (and STEM fields in general) to be unaware of the value of their transferable experience, and the breadth of career options that are available after graduation. By assembling a series of career path examples, this symposium would directly address students ubiquitous question of what career options are available to them, and how they may be pursued.

This careers symposium would complement the existing student workshop programming. The current student workshop does an excellent job of equipping students with employable skills through providing hands-on experience in various green chemistry and engineering topics. However, there is immense value in offering a symposium where GC&E attendees can learn about marketing their existing skills and to discover the breadth of career options available to them.

This careers-focused symposium would be intentionally composed of speakers that are willing to speak to students about their professional paths, providing an additional networking opportunity for both the attendees and the speakers themselves, especially from the perspective of potential employers.

Although students are the target audience for this symposium, all audiences are welcome. This symposium may be similarly valuable to those further in their career paths who may find themselves facing a change in employment. This has become relevant at present because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market. We also welcome people in established careers, with a curiosity to learn about alternative career paths, or mentors to students seeking resources.

Organizers

Dr. Madushanka Dissanayake, Intel Corporation
Dr. Juliana Vidal, Beyond Benign
Bria Garcia, University of Delaware

There is a large and growing ecosystem of entrepreneurs creating (or trying to create) new companies in green chemistry. There are no guides or “how-to” manuals for this. The purpose for this session is to intentionally curate a diverse group of entrepreneurs (carefully selected for their communication and storytelling skills) at various stages of corporate development, to share their experiences and stories. Hopefully, long-lasting friendships, mentorships, and collaborations are catalyzed from this event.

Organizers

John Warner, John C. Warner Green Chemistry, LLC
Julie Manley, Guiding Green, LLC

Abstract Submission

Invited Only

Recycling of carbon dioxide is a critical component to Closing the Loop. Several CO₂ recycling technologies have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory space and could be broadly used to transition into CO₂-based instead of petroleum-based manufacturing. However, the scale-up and industrial adoption of these novel approaches is challenging. To bridge this gap, this symposium seeks to connect diverse stakeholders interested in CO₂ recycling: academia, large organizations leading regional decarbonization initiatives and innovators developing digital tools to accelerate the adoption of CO₂ utilization in the industry.

The session will showcase examples of both novel, disruptive technologies, as well as more established approaches for CO₂ utilization. The half-day symposium will be opened by invited & submitted contributions covering the experiences in addressing decarbonization scale-up challenges within lab, pilot-plant and regional scale projects. To leverage form these experiences, the session will be concluded by a workshop discussion, focusing on formulating a strategy for considering the scale-up challenges in the early-stage technology development. We foresee a highly engaging atmosphere, which will support the exchange of ideas between the audience and invited speakers, as well as facilitate further networking.

Organizer

Prof. Magda Barecka, Northeastern

Developing innovative ways to recycle plastics is an important and pressing challenge for industry and academy, given its significant impact on CO₂ emissions as well as improvement of resource-efficiency and reduction of landfilling. Chemical recycling allows for the transformation of various types of plastic waste from single-polymer and mixed waste streams back into their original components. By creating a new, secondary virgin-quality raw material, chemical recycling can help close the loop and reduce the consumption of fossil resources. While progress has been made in the chemolytic depolymerization of man-made condensation polymers, such as PET, nylon, kevlar, polyester, polycarbonates, polyurethanes and epoxies, highly efficient and selective processes are still needed. This session will highlight key developments in this area.

Organizers

Prof. Wim Thielmans, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. Jose Jonathon Rubio Arias, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. Ning Yan, National University of Singapore

Nominal Sponsor

Division of Cellulose and Renewable Materials (CELL)

This session will highlight the processes that are inspired by novel design strategies leading to successful application of technologies to enable a circular-sustainable economy. Case studies will be presented to illustrate how industry/academia/NGO have successfully implemented the novel design in chemistries, synthetic pathways and processes that enable a circular, more sustainable economy and share the strategies that ultimately worked out for its end use to achieve its targeted goals. The examples from the session will describe the design and approaches taken, the challenges faced and how a solution for the challenge was achieved. Also, this session will discuss the importance of implementing sustainability as a basic design criterion to successfully achieve a closed-loop economy.

Organizers

Prof. Srinivasan Ambatipati, McNeese State University
Dr. Ettigounder (Samy) Ponnusamy, MilliporeSigma

Failures in planned end-of-use practices for plastics have resulted in extensive leakage to the oceans. Plastics can degrade to microplastics, and they can leach myriad additives over time. Either way, these impacts threaten marine ecosystems. Reducing the impact of plastics on the oceans starts with more thorough understanding of the fate and effect of plastics on the environment and requires advances in sustainable design. The end-of-use section in the Sustainable Polymer Framework (Wissinger, 2020) outlines major approaches to recapturing value of plastics at the end of their standard life cycle. Much work is underway to enable recycling and reprocessing at end of use. Achieving meaningful progress on environmentally-sound value recapture requires the work of both polymer chemists/engineers and environmental scientists/engineers as well as finding constructive ways for these disciplines to collaborate. Just as green chemistry has brought together toxicologists and organic chemists to chart a path toward more benign molecules, so can green chemistry bring together environmental researchers and polymer researchers to develop guidelines for the design of more sustainable plastics and promote interdisciplinary research. Such collaboration is critically important because some degree of leakage into the ocean environment seems inevitable even from improved end-of-use plastic management practices.

The 2023 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference is the ideal forum to bring together the range of specialists needed to catalyze development of sustainable polymer design guidelines that focus on reducing the ocean environmental impact of plastics at end of use. The site of the 2023 conference is the home port of Captain Charles Moore, discoverer of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Holding this symposium as a virtual/hybrid component of the Conference will enable presentations by leading researchers and thoughtful questions by green chemists and engineers in attendance. Furthermore, this symposium will support the efforts of the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) to constructively address the ocean plastics challenge.

Organizers

Prof. Robert Giraud, University of Delaware
Prof. Jane Wissinger, University of Minnesota

Nominal Sponsor

ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI)

Abstract Submission

Invited Only

Rigid and flexible food packaging is critical to minimizing food waste, ensuring stable global food distribution and access and for ensuring food safety. Yet unless clear, effective and locally available recycling/reuse processes are available, despite the importance of polymer packaging, it can add significant environmental burden, especially to end of life challenges. Currently, most disposable food packaging materials, regardless of raw material base, are not circular, i.e reusable, recyclable, or degradable. Thus, there is a desire to provide products that meet the increased consumer, market and regulatory need for food packaging that address recycle/reuse, market and cost perspectives.

This three-part session brings together thought leaders in food packaging market need, technical solutions and regulatory requirements to identify requirements and approaches to food packaging that have significant environmental and toxicological advantages compared to existing products. In part one, we will hear about market requirements and challenges for food packaging from the use, scale, global capacity perspectives from industry. In part two, companies, academic and government labs will present potential solutions that aim to provide viable opportunities for circularity and market requirements for food safety while addressing potential climate impact and reducing waste. Finally, in part three, we shall gain insights on the key regulatory criteria for innovations to meet evolving standards for “food safe” and “food grade”, while also meeting functionality demands.

Student presenters whose abstracts are accepted in this session will automatically be considered for a Presidential Giordan Scholar Award towards conference registration and travel.

Organizers

Dr. Judy Giordan, ACS President (2023)
Dr. Adealina Voutchkova, American Chemical Society
Dr. Joel Tickner, Green Chemistry & Commerce Council

One of the most challenging aspects of polyolefin recycling is the post-consumer mixed waste stream. In addition to variabilities in recyclate composition, the similar densities and chemistries of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) make the recyclates challenging to separate, however, the immiscibility of PE and PP lead to poor mechanical properties of their blends. This session will highlight the latest developments in the field of mixed polyolefin recycling, with an emphasis on fundamental research still needed to accelerate progress in mechanical and chemical recycling, recyclate characterization and sortation, and qualifications for use in future products.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to issues and gaps concerning:

• Polyolefin design to improve end-of-use outcomes (may include greener advances in additives and formulation)
• Recycled polyolefin compatibilization
• Dissolution recycling
• Improving mixed polyolefin mechanical properties
• Catalytic upcycling of polyolefins
• Polyolefin blend composition analysis
• Spectroscopic and advanced sortation techniques
• Economic and environmental impact assessments
• Industrial-scale polyolefin recycling

Organizers

Dr. McKenzie Coughlin, NIST
Dr. Kate Beers, NIST

Nominal Sponsor

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Scientific advancement across all specializations is enhanced by leveraging the creativity of a diverse population of researchers, teachers, and students. This is especially true in Green Chemistry and Engineering, as greener innovation includes broader concerns of sustainability and stewardship of the environment on a global scale. It is critical that minority educators (including, but not limited to: gender minorities, 2SLGBTQIA+[1], and BIPOC[2] communities) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) have the resources, tools, and broader community visibility when teaching their students about green and sustainable chemistry.

Amplifying the voices of minority scholars working in green chemistry education is one of the primary goals of this half-day session. This session aims to highlight how educational curricula are being improved, and presentations will address the following topics individually or together: chemistry and engineering curricula being developed by minority educators and/or at MSIs that integrate green chemistry, systems thinking, and sustainability; and the inclusion of green teaching materials that explicitly underline the value of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR). Work from educators integrating these topics is critical to the process of training the next generation of scientists to tackle society s global challenges. Through this symposium, participants may also learn from speakers about important considerations in green chemistry curriculum reform when practicing this work in minority communities. Ahead of the conference, speakers may be invited to participate in a working group that uses the new Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) online platform as a collaboration and discussion space.

[1] 2SLGBTQIA+ = two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual, and additional affirmative ways to self-identify.
[2] BIPOC = Black, Indigenous, People of Color

Sponsors

Dr. Nimrat Obhi, Beyond Benign, Inc.
Dr. Jonathon Moir, Beyond Benign, Inc.
Dr. David Laviska, ACS Green Chemistry Institute
Prof. Glenn Hurst, University of York

The theme of the 2023 GC&E, “Closing the Loop: Chemistry for a Sustainable Future”, implies that the broader chemistry community should be considering what a sustainable future looks like. While researchers (in both industry and academia) have been moving toward more systems thinking approaches to their work, undergraduate students don’t yet have the knowledge or skills to assess what closing the loop involves. Therefore, to leverage chemistry to achieve a more sustainable future, students need to be trained to think broadly about the experiments they perform in the teaching laboratory. Where do reagents come from? Where does waste go for disposal? What makes one protocol greener than another one?

This symposium will feature talks and discussions relevant to the process of training students in systems thinking, life cycle analysis, green chemistry, safety, and similar tools through methods such as guided inquiry, comparative analysis, research-based methods, case studies, etc. We invite a diverse spectrum of practitioners and viewpoints to share what they have done to invest in a sustainable future by training our students in undergraduate laboratories to think about how they play an important role as future scientists.

Organizers

Glenn A. Hurst, Associate Professor of Chemistry Education, University of York
Dr. David Laviska, ACS Green Chemistry Institute
Prof. Barbora Morra, University of Toronto
Jane Wissinger, Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Minnesota

Companies, governments, and institutions are committing to ambitious carbon neutrality and zero emission targets within the next two decades, and green chemistry and engineering practices and products are growing rapidly in the chemical industry. Many industry examples, case studies, and literature resources exist; however, there are limited examples of these real-world green chemistry innovations being incorporated or highlighted in the current chemistry and engineering curriculum. If sustainability commitments, addressing climate change, and meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) aim to be achieved in the next two decades, accelerating the training of the next generation workforce to practice sustainability through chemistry is vital. Utilizing industry, government, and NGO green chemistry examples and opportunities are one method for highlighting the importance of green chemistry skills to students and faculty members.

This symposium aims to close the loop between industry, government, NGOs, and academia by spotlighting real-world green chemistry and engineering projects as well as safer alternative projects in practice, either from the perspective of implementing the project or from someone teaching about the project. The interactive portion of the session is intended to provide an opportunity for academics to incorporate the innovations of today into their curriculum. While this session also aims to create a space for overlap between industry, government, NGOs and academia, we also hope to spark continuation within the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning (GCTLC) online platform to catalyze the adoption of green chemistry principles and practices in academic settings. By inviting speakers prior to the conference to give feedback and input on the too and inviting session attendees to participate in the platform after the conference, we aim to foster collaborations and encourage the sharing of course materials.

Organizers

Dr. Natalie O’Neil, Beyond Benign
Saskia van Bergen, Washington State Department of Ecology
Prof. Jennifer Tripp, University of San Francisco
Dr. Ettigounder (Samy) Ponnusamy, MilliporeSigma

Producing hydrogen with a reduced carbon footprint is key to its use as either a sustainable energy source or a reagent for a sustainable chemical industry. Among the methods used to generate such hydrogen includes water electrolysis using C-free energy (green hydrogen) and natural gas accompanied by carbon capture and storage (blue hydrogen). Such technologies are being rapidly developed for industrial-scale production and could help facilitate a transition to a hydrogen-based economy that includes electricity generation, powering transportation, heating buildings, and facilitating biomass valorization, among others. Achieving diversified uses of green or blue hydrogen will be essential to a practical and viable hydrogen economy.

In this session, we shall examine the chemistry of C-free hydrogen generation, life cycle impacts, and new chemical processes that can be facilitated via these routes. Comparative technoeconomic and life cycle analyses of chemical processes powered by green and blue hydrogen are particularly encouraged.

Organizer

Prof. Bala Subramaniam, University of Kansas

The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards are now in their 27^th year and continue to recognize leading green chemistry innovations. With over 1800 nominations and 133 award winners, there is a compelling case to be made that innovations benefiting from the application of green chemistry and engineering have achieved sufficient commercial success to justify implementation in all chemical processing sectors. The goals of the is panel are to describe the prestigious EPA Green Chemistry Challenge Awards—co-sponsored by ACS—and showcase award winners from the current and past years. The winners will describe the innovative technology they were recognized for, share lessons learned from participation, and describe the benefits of being recognized by the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program.

Organizers

Dr. Chen Wen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Dr. David Chichester-Constable, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Abstract Submission

Invited Only

The steady growth of populations and their economies on a global scale, is the principal driving force and a major challenge for our society and modern productive sectors. Only the full consideration of the UN sustainable development goals (UN-SDGs), which represent our common blueprint for global sustainability efforts, will give all of us a stable future. The thoughtful planning and progress of new technologies, as well as their successful transfer into functioning businesses is absolutely crucial for a sustainable growth. The dissemination of essential knowledge, and the fair distribution of valuable resources, are a commitment we must take to share prosperity and equality all around the globe. Entrepreneurs with a global vision, academics with sustainable ideas of high impact, and business developers with experience in related sectors are all welcome to submit applications for this symposium. A special focus will be laid on technologies and businesses approaching real world problems through the conscious design of materials and products, and the intelligent exploitation of new and sustainable energy sources. Green chemistry and green engineering will play a key role in facing the countless global challenges and intricate burdens we have put on our planet en route to our current state of development. Since open global collaboration is the only way to success, we would like to especially invite representatives from emerging nations and members of communities commonly underrepresented in the chemical enterprise. The hybrid format of the symposium will allow for any potential candidate to present their work online or in-person.

Organizers

Lars Ratjen, Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale
Karolina Mellor, Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale
Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal, American Chemical Society
Stephan Sicars, UNIDO – Division of Circular Economy and Environment Protection (CEP)

Individually, analytical chemistry and flow chemistry continue to push for greener and more sustainable approaches in the discovery, development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. Challenges remain, however, across both areas in coupling the two so that scientists can truly leverage the green opportunities that having integrated real-time and in-line approaches to flow synthesis and analysis can bring. Engineering control for process monitoring and feedback is key in being able to solve these challenges, and only through collaborative, multi-disciplinary approaches is it envisaged that viable solutions are likely.

This session will aim to bring together synthetic and analytical chemists with engineers to share the challenges faced in miniaturization, sampling, speed, detection capability, process energy consumption, sensitivity and overall waste production when attempting to harmonize the two areas and provide the latest insights into how solutions to these challenges are being addressed.

Organizers

Dr. Matthew Osborne, AstraZeneca
Dr. John Wasylyk, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

As the impact of linear models of manufacturing, use, and waste become more dire, circular frameworks are seen as a viable and necessary alternative to the status quo. Circularity models like the one proposed by Ellen MacArthur Foundation give us a valuable conceptual framework for how this can be done, but challenges remain in bringing circularity to scale. There are however many examples of industrial ecosystems, developed over decades and operating at commercial scale, that are currently realizing significant benefits for the environment and society. These systems can optimize biological and technical nutrients and provide numerous examples of how chemistry and engineering can be applied to utilize waste streams from one entity as feedstocks for another.

In this symposium we will explore the details of various industrial ecosystems highlighting the key elements to their success and future challenges to replicating and scaling impact. We will start with the concept of Industrial Symbiosis, a system of organizations in geographical proximity that use waste streams from one as a feedstock for another. We will discuss material reuse through the Materials Marketplace developed select regions around the U.S. And we will look at opportunities of start-ups looking to improve and potentially disrupt recycling systems.

Organizers

Dr. Tom Burns, Novozymes North America
Arlan Peters, MBA, Novozymes North America

Polymers are and will continue to be an integral material for modern manufacturing and consumer goods. Their sustainability in terms of feedstocks, degradability and environmental impact is critical to their evolution and future applications. Society’s need for versatile and high-performing materials must be balanced by the need for products that favor a circular economy and do not exasperate the global problem of waste and environmental pollutants. The search for catalysts that are effective for the synthesis of new polymers from abundant, renewable feedstocks continues to be central to these aims. In addition, catalytic processes that enable the controlled degradation of the polymers to potentially recyclable starting materials are important.

The questions this symposium aims to address include: Can polymers be made using energy efficient processes? Can the polymers be designed with end-of life considerations? What would be the fate of these materials in the environment? What performance can be gained from using the principles of Green Chemistry in the synthesis of new polymers? How can ideas be taken from exploratory research to the market?

Organizers

Prof. Christopher Kozak, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Prof. Megan Fieser, University of Southern California

Nominal SPonsors

Inorganic Chemistry (DIC)
Polymer Chemistry (POLY)

Current global climate actions are not sufficient in reducing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and limiting global warming to 1.5-2° C by the end of the century. Unless urgent actions are taken to balance CO₂ emissions and removals and urgently reduce the use of fossil carbon, phasing it out in the long term, climate change and biodiversity crises will accelerate, disrupting and threatening natural ecosystems and human societies.

Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) is attracting considerable attention as a new way to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere while valorizing CO₂ through the production of sustainable fuels and green chemical intermediates. Previous studies suggest that CCU can lead to carbon neutral products especially when utilizing captured carbon for chemicals production, where they replace fossil feedstocks.

Current fossil-based chemicals such as plastics cause a heavy environmental burden. In 2019, they generated 3.4% of global emissions, with 90% of these emissions coming from their production and conversion from fossil fuels. Additionally, we leave behind more than 13 million tonnes of plastic waste floating in our oceans. It would be highly beneficial to introduce new sustainable plastics which have a low carbon footprint, are easily recyclable as well as biodegradable.

There are different technologies for CCU which can produce a variety of chemicals. With electrochemistry we can use renewable electricity and directly convert CO₂ with high selectivity and efficiency. Interesting monomers that can be produced electrochemically are oxalic acid and glycolic acid from which we can make novel polymers that perform better for their application and are better for the planet.

The question is how the many partners that are required for the process can be brought together. For a successful implementation we require a systemic approach and include stakeholders from CO₂ producers to plastic producers, users, and consumers. How can everyone along the value chain benefit? What technical challenges lay ahead? And do we need governmental incentives and regulations?

Organizers

Dr. Eric Schuler, Avantium Chemicals/University of Amsterdam
Prof. Gert-Jan Gruter, University of Amsterdam

Separation processes can account for as much as 80% of the total manufacturing costs. Membrane technology offers an energy-efficient separation alternative to conventional thermal processes. Environmental awareness is driving membrane development towards more sustainable approaches. In this scenario, end of life strategies aiming for a closed-loop circular economy such as biobased nanomaterials, biopolymers, biodegradable and/or recyclable polymers, renewable building blocks, and green upcycling of conventional materials are emerging as sustainable solutions for the current challenges we face in membrane preparation. On the other hand, the recent development of membrane materials facilitated the advancement of process intensification exploiting membranes. The symposium aims to bridge the gap between green materials and green processes centered on membranes.

The emerging sustainable building blocks and techniques for membrane fabrication will foster scientific discussions, while contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As the field of green membrane materials and processes is rapidly growing, researchers are providing innovative solutions mainly focusing on green chemistry principles, and process intensification. The presented symposium will gather talks on the latest achievements in the fields of sustainable membrane systems, as well as promising green chemistry approaches and processes for membrane materials. Thus, the symposium will have talks from experts working in the field of membranes and beyond. One of the objectives of the symposium is to trigger cross-disciplinary discussions involving green chemistry and engineering experts, not necessarily working in the field of membranes. A white paper, disseminating the results of the discussions, is planned for publication.

We invite speakers from governmental organizations, industry professionals, and academic researchers to debate green solutions in the field of membranes. Although attendance in person is encouraged, the 2023 GC&E will be hybrid, so you may present remotely but live.

Organizer

Prof. Gyorgy Szekely, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)

Polymers and polymer composites are ubiquitously used throughout our economy. The vast majority of such materials are sourced from fossil-based resources. Sourcing of polymers from renewable feedstocks, namely waste biomass, has the potential to valorize waste materials, divert non-renewable resources from utilization, and create polymers that are more favorable for recycling and/or biodegradation.

Industrial analyses and predictions show that by 2030 both biodegradable and non-biodegradable bio-based plastics will be widely used and that the renewable plastics market will account for over $6 billion (USD). This growing trend is motivated by customers and regulatory agencies and their demands for plastics that are environmentally benign, drastically less toxic to human health, and, ultimately, are more sustainable than their petroleum-derived counterparts. However, compared to the petrochemical industry, biomass feedstock processing, especially large-scale environmentally benign refining and manufacturing techniques as well as large-scale degradation/recycling strategies, are in their infantcies.

The major production steps for bio-based polymers include feedstock procurement, monomer and reagent purification, polymer synthesis, processing, and testing, including end-of-life assessments. The complexity of biomass feedstocks has the benefit of potentially offering inherent chemical functionality that can and should be exploited; however, this same complexity requires additional considerations during feedstock processing as well as during polymer synthesis, property testing, and end-of-life analyses. Furthermore, the necessity for biomass processing within the context of a biorefinery can provide benefits regarding economics and waste minimization. The negative impacts of a process can be mitigated by attempting to align with green design principles, and the evaluation of the economic and environmental impact of a new material at early stages of development is essential to the useful and applicable design of a competitive new product.

Addressing these challenges requires expertise from diverse backgrounds and sectors. This symposium seeks to highlight the contributions that the green chemistry and engineering community, including those in government, academia, and in the private sector, has made towards fundamentally understanding, designing, developing, and commercializing bio-based polymers via sustainable production processes and degradation/recycling strategies thereof. Given the conference theme of closing the loop, the symposium will focus on progress made toward the design, synthesis, usage, and end-of-life assessments of bio-based polymers with an emphasis on contributions that bridge, holistically assess, and/or iterate through this loop from cradle to grave. Moreover, this symposium will identify major hurdles and obstacles that must be overcome to close the loop and promote a sustainable future.

Organizers

Prof. Joe Stanzione, Rowan University
Prof. Melissa Gordon, Lafayette College
Prof. Lindsay Soh, Lafayette College

Over the past years, social and economic awareness has risen dramatically as to how industries impact the environment. Cosmetic and personal care manufacturers have the responsibility to transition to a sustainable portfolio and business model, as many of our consumers have articulated.

These ambitious, but undoubtedly necessary changes and transformations require a holistic sourcing evaluation. They should encompass quantifiable targets, spanning the fight for climate change, water sustainability, respecting biodiversity, preserving natural resources, and abandoning animal testing.

In recent years, green chemistry and synthetic biology have taken center stage in developing technologies that enable the conversion of renewable feedstocks to bio-based products. In particular, green catalysts, engineered enzymes, and whole microorganisms tailored to selectively produce biomolecules of interest have tremendously expanded the scope for sustainable manufacturing. The economic significance is further highlighted by the recent U.S. government commitment to foster and support biotechnologies. However, biomanufacturing still faces skepticism and hesitation, especially concerning commercial production capabilities. We recognize that one major obstacle to reaching commercial stages is the missing commitment from the market that such technologies will eventually be implemented in the personal care supply chain.

We envision this symposium to be a place of discussion and exchange to bring technology developers and end-users together. It should be clear that sustainability is a major driver for consumers and that all partners need to commit to working towards achieving this goal.

Organizer

Dr. David Fabry, L’Oreal USA

Apparel and footwear products are often composed of complex mixtures of materials fibers, dyes, adhesives, films, coatings, foams, etc. Creating durable products that perform their needed function while also enabling an end-of-life solution compatible with a circular system is very challenging. The ubiquity of these products combined with the large global footprint of this industry makes it a compelling area to highlight opportunities for systems thinking and designing for sustainable end of life solutions. This session is intended to showcase new chemical technologies and strategies for reducing impact during the manufacture of textiles, apparel, and footwear, as well as new processes and new ways to design products with sustainability and end of life in mind.

This session will provide a forum for innovators in both industry and academia to come together and share ideas and challenges. Suggested topics to be addressed include (but are not limited to):

New Materials and Fibers

• Novel fiber types, especially non-fossil or bio-derived, biodegradable, or recyclable at end of life
• Strategies for addressing microfiber pollution (e.g. novel coatings, polymer additives, etc.)
• Safer, more sustainable adhesives
• Bio-based and/or recyclable foams

Greener Dyes and Finishes:

• New dyes or dye processing technologies that can reduce water an energy use
• Design of more sustainable dye molecules (e.g. bio-based or biodegradable dyes, dyes with reduced hazards profiles, etc.)
• Strategies for removing dyes at end of life for recycling and reuse
• More environmentally friendly functional finishes (e.g. non-fluorinated water repellents, bio-based wicking finishes, metal-free antimicrobial finishes, etc.)
• Tools to assess chemical hazards or environmental impact

Circularity:

• Mechanical and chemical recycling technologies for post-industrial and post-consumer textile, apparel, and footwear waste
• Technologies/strategies for handling complex mixtures of materials to enable recycling
• Material and chemical considerations to design consumer products for recycling at end of life

Organizers

Dr. Laura Hoch, Patagonia Inc.
Dr. Luca Bonanomi, Patagonia Inc.

Designing for sustainability improvements in personal care and household formulas and packaging lifecycles requires extensive data and a conscious focus from the earliest phases of product creation. Green chemistry and engineering provide frameworks to achieve this while retaining required performance attributes. These frameworks can be leveraged through many potential strategies, among which the use of quantitative metrics to understand material impacts and guide design choices has proven to be of great value. The industry has made significant progress in improving its impact, but many obstacles remain, and innovation will be crucial to surpass them. Increased industry transparency, data sharing, and collaboration will further accelerate progress toward closing the loop and reducing life cycle impacts.

Commonly desired product attributes such as naturally derived ingredients or lack of plastic packaging do not necessarily result in formulas or packages that lead to sustainability improvements across their lifecycles. The development of products that result in sustainability improvements by minimizing life cycle impacts requires understanding and focused consideration of the nuances of ingredient and packaging material properties, performance, and economics, along with value chain engagement.

This symposium will provide a forum to share case studies and success stories of leveraging green chemistry and engineering approaches to design personal care and household products (raw materials, formulas, and packaging) that achieve sustainability improvements through minimized life cycle impacts; with a goal of helping to enable a more sustainable, closed-loop economy. It will also create a dialog around remaining unmet industry needs.

Some of the ideas to be discussed include:

• The use of metrics to quantify green chemistry performance and material impacts and facilitate improvements in formula and packaging development and innovation.
• Examples of success stories in design for X strategies, development of products that avoid adverse environmental impacts and/or reduce use phase impacts, and the general leveraging of the principles of green chemistry and engineering to develop raw materials, products, and processes with improved sustainability profiles.
• Strategies for enabling the economic competitiveness of such improved processes and technologies in the consumer goods industry.
• The use of data analytics and Artificial Intelligence approaches to improve sustainability in product design and systemic impact minimization.
• Remaining obstacles to achieving more sustainability improvements in designing consumer products.

Organizers

Paul Scott, The Estée Lauder Companies
Eva Thompson, The Estée Lauder Companies

This symposium will seek to address solutions to key gaps preventing the wide adoption of Flow Chemistry as an enabling technology throughout industry. Specifically, the session will gather expert practitioners within the field to provide a critical evaluation of continuous manufacturing as a sustainable approach in synthesis. Downstream purifications as well as in-line process analytical technologies represent key active research areas in continuous manufacturing, which will be covered through case studies, while the integration of emerging technologies such as photochemistry, electrochemistry and AI/ML concepts into a flow paradigm will also be covered.

Organizers

Dr. Paul Richardson, Pfizer
Dr. Olivier Dapremont, Ampac Fine Chemicals

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

The ACS Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable (ACS GCIPR), has been a global leading voice for advancing green chemistry and engineering by bridging the gap between academics and industry, awarding outstanding green chemistry applications and innovations by global pharmaceutical companies, and enabling better decisions about chemical selection process design.

In this symposium, we will highlight: Announcements of the green chemistry award recipients and their presentations highlighting their green chemistry innovations:

• Award symposium for the Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry & Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry – CMO Excellence in Green Chemistry Award
• Novel innovations that have been developed and incentivized through our grants program
• Implementation and application of emerging greener chemistry technologies both in academia and pharma
• Industrial processes that have shown green and sustainable chemistry accomplishments at meaningful scale, considering, a) reduction in process mass intensity, b) waste reduction, c) robustness, d) environmental, health, and safety impact reduction or elimination, and, e) reduction in the use of toxic and/or hazardous chemicals, solvents, reagents, etc.

Organizers

Dr. Pippa Payne, Gilead
Dr. Dan Bailey, Takeda
Dr. Isamir Martinez, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

With more awareness of how chemical processes affect our environment, there has been a drive to develop new and sustainable technologies with mild reaction conditions, and exclusion of hazardous catalysts and reagents while still preserving high regio- and stereoselectivity. In recent years, chemistry in water has been an attractive medium for organic transformations, most notably in biocatalysis which has greatly enabled chemists to design and develop sustainable, and highly stereoselective processes with mild reaction conditions. Micellar catalysis greatly expands on the reaction types that are suitable for water, greatly reducing the need for hazardous and carbon-intensive organic solvents.

This session will survey recent efforts in both chemo- and biocatalytic transformations in water. Furthermore, chemoenzymatic cascades will be highlighted to further illustrate the impact these technologies can have when used in tandem.

Organizers

Dr. Nnamdi Akporji, Merck
Dr. Brenden Derstine, Neurocrine
Dr. Dan Bailey, Takeda

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

Sustainability requires collective efforts from all of us on innovation in the face of declining natural resource. Correspondingly, the onus is on us chemists to invent sustainable ways to produce pharmaceuticals, polymers, and other consumables to minimize environmental footprint. Along these lines, sustainable catalysis, including organocatalysis and Earth-abundant metal catalysis, can access different mechanistic pathways to catalyze known transformations, or affect new ones. Understanding these mechanisms for catalyst design will not only enable the discovery of new reactions, but also advance the application of earth-abundant metals/organocatalysis.

This symposium will bring together experts in academia, industry and government in the areas of:

• Novel Earth-abundant metal catalysis/organocatalysis development for applications in pharmaceuticals, energy, and other industries.
• Mechanistic studies of earth-abundant metal chemistry/organocatalysis, including kinetics and spectroscopy.
• Industrial scale production using Earth-abundant metal catalysis/organocatalysis.

Organizer

Dr. Shishi Lin, Merck

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

In recent years, biocatalysis has emerged as an exciting technology for green and sustainable synthesis with diverse applications in the pharmaceutical and commodity chemical industries. Capable of exerting unparalleled chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity, biocatalysts are powerful tools to access valuable compounds. Over the past few years, several exciting new directions have emerged, completely transforming the current perception and practice of biocatalysis and biotransformations.

This symposium will highlight the mining and engineering of synthetically useful enzymes and their applications in the pharmaceutical industries. In addition, it will cover the repurposing and evolution of natural enzymes to enable novel biotransformations that are not previously known in biology. Furthermore, it will introduce new strategies based on artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate the discovery, engineering, and understanding of biocatalysts.

Organizer

Prof. Yang Yang, University of California, Santa Barbara

Development of green synthetic technologies to increase efficiency, minimize energy consumption, reduce toxicity and waste disposal are the major tasks for organic and medicinal chemistry. Success will be the result of a multidisciplinary approach which is able to deliver solutions in different areas. This Symposium will cover following topics:

1. Use of safe, environmentally friendly, and renewable solvent systems for reactions and separations (e.g., solvents from biomass or waste, reactions in water, recoverable solvents, deep eutectic solvents, solvent-free conditions).
2. Application of efficient, selective, and practical catalysis technologies (e.g., homogenous catalysts, heterogeneous/recoverable catalysts, photocatalysis, organocatalysis, electrocatalysis, enzyme catalysis).
3. Development of synthetic methods utilizing reduced or alternative energies (e.g., flow reactor, microwave irradiation, mechanochemistry, photo reactions)
4. Promotion of organic synthesis with high pot, atom, step economy (e.g., one-pot synthesis, multicomponent reactions, cascade reactions, reagents in situ).

Organizers

Prof. Wei Zhang, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Prof. Luigi Vaccaro, University of Perugia, Italy

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

Abstract Submission

Invited Only

Development of green and sustainable methodologies by using renewable raw material, reducing chemical wastes, and working with eco-friendly reagents have been stimulated by extensive research because of inescapable global energy crisis. Selective oxidation of organic chemicals is considered as one of the most critical challenges facing the chemical industry (mentioned in the Technology Vision 2020 report published by the Council for Chemical Research). Air represents an ideal alternative to commonly used stoichiometric oxidants such as toxic metal salts and peroxides. Air is available at virtually no cost and produces no environmentally hazardous by-products. However, the scope of air or oxygen-coupled oxidation reactions is presently quite limited since air is very inert towards reacting with organic molecules.

The solution is the development of catalysts to guide the chemical reaction toward kinetically favored products. Advances in catalysis research are critical to address many of the major challenges facing our nation and world, including (i) reducing the contribution of human activities to global warming, (ii) identifying sustainable energy sources, and (iii) minimizing the environmental impact of chemical synthesis.

Despite many industrial processes feature catalytic methods for aerobic oxidation, their scope is limited, and chemical reagents such as transition metal oxides and chlorine-based oxidants remain in common use. Recent developments in heterogeneous catalysis point toward new opportunities for selective aerobic oxidation chemistry. Heterogeneous catalysts are materials present in different phases (usually solid) than the reactant. However, most of the current efficient technologies are based on precious metals and use of oxidative additives, which may not be feasible for long term needs. For a view of addressing current limitations, design of novel materials by employing more abundant elements for selective oxidation is highly desirable.

Organizers

Prof. Sourav Biswas, SUNY Buffalo State
Dr. Biswanath Dutta, National Energy Technology Laboratory

Electrochemistry has recently undergone a renaissance in terms of its applications in organic synthetic transformations. From fundamental discoveries to high-throughput reactors, electrochemistry is transforming our understanding of what is synthetically possible. The symposium aims to illustrate use of electrochemical methodologies as complementary, alternative and greener avenues to traditional organic synthesis. The focus is on the new bond formation which will allow for discussion to take place around reusing and recycling chemicals to make new value-added compounds. This symposium will not be focused on the small molecule transformations such as water, hydrogen or oxygen, but rather on the larger organic compounds. Notably, the symposium aims to encourage EDI in the electrochemistry research and teaching, and highlight women or visible minorities in electrosynthesis.

Organizer

Prof. Sanela Martic, Trent University

Nominal Sponsor

ACS Catalysis Division

Mechanochemistry has emerged in the recent decade as a powerful tool to develop more sustainable chemical processes. In 2019, the IUPAC named “mechanochemistry and reactive extrusion” as one of the ten innovations that will change the world. Defined as the science of inducing reactions though mechanical forces, mechanochemistry has exploded as a field, through its use in organic, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry, materials science and engineering, catalysis, and enzymology. It is routinely used for applications central to sustainability, such as batteries, biomass conversion, or plastics degradation, to name only a few. Importantly, the use of mechanochemistry often comes with additional benefits, such as the significant reduction of solvent and reagent use.

In 2019, the mechanochemistry community came to the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and we had a great turnout of speakers and attendees. We initiated many important conversations on the topic for better integration of mechanochemistry within the field of sustainable chemistry and engineering. Since then, papers in mechanochemistry have become prominent in many journals, including ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. As the 2023 conference theme is “Closing the Loop: Chemistry for a Sustainable Future”, four years after our first participation in the conference, we want to bring the community back together to continue working on the many ways with which mechanochemistry can help close the loop and build a better future.

Organizers

Prof. Audrey Moores, McGill University, Canada
Prof. Tomislav Fričić, University of Birmingham, UK
Prof. Ashlie Martini, University of California, Merced
Prof. James Mack, University of Cincinnati

Peptides have gained increased interest as therapeutics over the past few decades, largely due to their advantageous properties including high specificity and affinity, as well as superior safety and tolerance. However, recent studies have revealed that at least 10 metric tons of solvent and materials are used to synthesize 1 kg of peptide drug substance produced by SPPS which is orders of magnitude higher than most small molecule syntheses. In addition, many of the reagents and solvents in use for peptide therapeutics are classified as chemicals of concern. Current and impending regulation could result in future disruption of industrial production of therapeutic peptides.

Recognizing the unmet environmental needs, the ACS Pharmaceutical Roundtable recently founded a team focused on improving sustainability practices in peptide development and has funded academic research in this area over the past 5 years. The groups initial contribution is focused on stimulating innovations in peptide syntheses (J. Org. Chem., 2019, 84 (8), pp 4615-4628). A refresh of the strategy is planned for publication in 2022 which is expected to identify additional areas for sustainable peptide development.

Organizer

Dr. Michael Kopach, Eli Lilly and Co.

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

The development of new synthetic methodologies and strategies has been the cornerstone upon which sustainable industrial processes are built. The pure research advances arising from academia fuel the world’s industrial innovation, while also training the scientific leaders of tomorrow. This special session highlights the research of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars across the broader, global organic chemistry community which has the potential to impact sustainable industrial chemistry. Students accepted to this symposium will be offered $1200 travel grants from the ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable to assist in their conference attendance (in person).

Organizer

Dr. David Leahy, Biohaven

Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

Advancements in catalysis over the last few decades have provided chemists and chemical engineers with a wide range of synthetic tools to build and embellish small organic molecules. The development and study of catalytic chemical transformations have both broadened the substrate scope for known transformations and expanded the toolkit of new possible reactions.

Sustainable development is a strong driver in the design of new processes and synthetic methodologies. This symposium aims to bring early-career (i.e., up to 10 years post terminal degree) chemists and chemical engineers from various academic and industrial backgrounds to showcase and learn from their contributions to sustainable catalysis.

The symposium is open to a wide variety of topics, and we look forward to the abstract submissions. Potential abstract topics (not limited to) are new sustainable catalytic reactions, future green solvents, mechanochemistry, biocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis in organic synthesis among others. We aim to focus the discussion on how the different methods presented address sustainability as well as the fundamental limitations in the field. We hope that the knowledge gained by the audience from the presentations will help educate current and future scientists to understand the power of various technologies in modern synthesis in the context of sustainability.

Organizers

Sujana Shifon, Bristol Myers Squibb
Dr. Jeishla Melendez Matos, Bristol Myers Squibb
Sudripet Sharma, University of Louisville
Prof. Sachin Handa, University of Louisville

Chemical reaction development traditionally relies on empirical observations and conventional experimental designs, where a chemist would change single variables one at a time while fixing all others. This approach could miss the optimal conditions, and even if successful through exhaustive combinations of experiments is time-consuming and expensive. This approach also fails to provide mechanistic understanding and can lead to errors associated with human limitations of pattern recognition.

The area of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) has produced surprising results across the chemistry enterprise. Chemoinformatics (CI) and data analytics (DA) have also been explored as viable pathways in analyzing chemical reactions and make predictions for future experiments. Advancements in this area and new applications continue to gain momentum and provide an opportunity to aid green chemistry efforts within both industry and academic laboratories.

Organizer

Dr. Jared Piper, Pfizer

Nominal Sponsor

ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable

This workshop is intended to nurture understanding and confidence in the use of appropriate sustainability and green chemistry metrics in research. The workshop will include a focus on process-scale metrics related to waste and energy, as well as life cycle impacts relevant to processes and products. The workshop will connect to one on chemical hazard assessment offered during another session. Emphasis will be given on the necessity of trade-offs in developing technologies that meet sustainability goals.

Organizers

Dr. Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal, American Chemical Society
Prof. Audrey Moores, McGill University

Abstract Submission

Invited Only (Workshop)

The development of green and sustainable chemistry technologies requires a systems-based approach that addresses the design of chemicals for circularity, function and minimal hazard as well as development of efficient and environmentally-benign chemical processes. The design of safer functional chemicals is a particular challenge for chemists and engineers, given that they typically receive no training in this area. This workshop will provide chemists fundamental theory and practical tools that can be applied early in the design of chemicals and materials. In this three-part workshop, we shall provide a brief overview of the toxicology fundamentals that underpin chemists’ ability to consider chemical toxicity. Subsequently, we shall consider design guidelines based on physicochemical properties and reactivity indices that identify chemicals most likely to meet a threshold of safety, and lastly, discuss the use of next-generation in silico tools for prediction of chemical hazard. Opportunities for collaboration between chemists and toxicologists will further allow for progress in the design of functional and safe chemicals. The latter will be contextualized with examples from research in academia, government labs and industry.

Organizer

Prof. Jakob Kostal, George Washington University
Dr. Hans Plugge, Safer Chemical Analytics, LLC

Abstract Submission

Invited Only (Workshop)

This half-day workshop will, a) Introduce workshop participants to the general format of the new ACS Green Chemistry Institute teaching modules and describe at least one module in detail, b) Guide participants through the planning process for including one or more modules in their general or organic chemistry course curricula, and c) Encourage feedback from participants concerning their anticipated impediments to implementation, module concepts that do/don’t fit well with their curricula, and positive/negative first impressions.

Participants should be instructors of organic and/or general chemistry. The workshop will guide participants through the process of reading, understanding, and adopting one of the newly launched ACS GCI green chemistry teaching modules. Goals will include helping the participants familiarize themselves with one or more content modules through discussions and guided inquiry/brainstorming. We will also ask participants to think about what aspects of the modules they are/aren’t comfortable with: concepts, appropriateness for their curriculum, timing, activities, etc. Participants will work to customize the modules to one or more of their individual classroom requirements and/or content gaps. A checklist for implementation will be provided, and participants will leave the session with specific, achievable tasks/goals that they can take back to their home institutions.

Proposed agenda:

1. Discussion and description of the module development process.
2. Discussion, description, and group activity that facilitates more detailed knowledge of a chosen (in advance) module that relates to the participants’ instructional needs.
3. Group activity for developing a “reasonable” lesson plan that accounts for variations between instructors concerning number of teaching hours per week, class size, etc.
4. Discussion of perceived positives/negatives of the module, based on the lesson planning process.
5. Brainstorming session (all together or in groups) for customization that addresses the concerns listed in step four.
6. Development of a personalized checklist for future implementation.

Organizer

Dr. David Laviska, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Abstract Submission

Invited Only (Workshop)

The GC&E Poster Session and Reception draws the entire Conference together for two hours of poster presentations and refreshments. This is an excellent opportunity to share your research!
Abstracts submitted to the poster session must meet the following criteria:

• Meets the definition of green chemistry or green engineering
• Potential impact on the field
• Development of idea
• Originality
• Conclusions supported by data

Eligible student posters will be automatically considered in the Student Poster Competition.

Organizers

Michael Kopach, Eli Lilly and Company
Francesca Kerton, Memorial University of Newfoundland