9th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference: Workshop on Sustainability

American Chemical Society (Acs), Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Proposal Title: 9th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference: Workshop on Sustainability Proposal Number: CTS-0541524 Principal Investigator: Kathryn E. Parent Institution: American Chemical Society Transitioning from a petroleum-based chemical industry to one that relies primarily on biorenewable feedstocks will require a vastly improved fundamental scientific and engineering understanding of these new conversion routes to industrial chemicals. The petrochemical industry has accumulated a 100-year knowledge of chemistry and chemical engineering principles focused largely on the catalytic conversion of feedstocks derived from oil; this knowledge basis must be dramatically strengthened for biorenewable feedstocks in order to develop a sustainable chemical industry for the future. This workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation will foster the transition from a petroleum-based chemical economy to one using biorenewables by delineating key research areas and priorities. The goal of this workshop will be to identify scientific barriers primarily in the areas of chemical and biocatalysis that must be overcome to ensure the development of high yield, selective processing, primarily under environmentally benign conditions such as aqueous reaction environments. The themes developed in this workshop will offer the potential to transform a major portion of US production of chemicals and fuels, which would have important economic advantages. The broader impacts also include strong international opportunities for US investigators since the International Meeting on Sustainability will involve a large contingent of European and Japanese scientists and engineers. Workforce development will also be enhanced since a significant number of US graduate and undergraduate students will be in attendance at the meeting. The organizers of the workshop will publish a workshop report for dissemination to the catalysis and biocatalysis community, and a web site will be created for workshop presentations.