Die chemische Industrie auf dem Weg in eine grüne Zukunft? Sustainable Development und Responsible Care

In literature as well as in environmental reports of many companies of the chemical industry, phrases like „sustainability”︁ and „sustainable development”︁ are proposed strategies for a better future. Such strategies should be the solution for global environmental problems with regard to economic and social needs of the present and future generations. In order to be successful, these strategies should include integrated pollution control as well as responsibility for both resources and products. Examples for new approaches are cleaner production and green chemistry.     

Natural Product Synthesis at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology

Nature has evolved to produce unique and diverse natural products that possess high target affinity and specificity. Natural products have been the richest sources for novel modulators of biomolecular function. Since the chemical synthesis of urea by Wöhler, organic chemists have been intrigued by natural products, leading to the evolution of the field of natural product synthesis over the past two centuries. Natural product synthesis has enabled natural products to play an essential role in drug discovery and chemical biology. With the introduction of novel, innovative concepts and strategies for synthetic efficiency, natural product synthesis in the 21st century is well poised to address the challenges and complexities faced by natural product chemistry and will remain essential to progress in biomedical sciences.     

Valorization of decationized newsprint to levulinic acid

Cellulose - As of today, most chemical products are fossil-based. The environmental concerns of fossil resources due to their constant misuse have led to the exploration of bio-based alternatives....     

Asymmetric Catalysis: Science and Opportunities (Nobel Lecture)

Asymmetric catalysis, in its infancy in the 1960s, has dramatically changed the procedures of chemical synthesis, and resulted in an impressive progression to a level that technically approximates or sometimes even exceeds that of natural biological processes. The recent exceptional advances in this area attest to a range of conceptual breakthroughs in chemical sciences in general, and to the practical benefits of organic synthesis, not only in laboratories but also in industry. The growth of this core technology has given rise to enormous economic potential in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, animal health products, agrochemicals, fungicides, pheromones, flavors, and fragrances. Practical asymmetric catalysis is of growing importance to a sustainable modern society, in which environmental protection is of increasing concern. This subject is an essential component of molecular science and technology in the 21st century. Most importantly, recent progress has spurred various interdisciplinary research efforts directed toward the creation of molecularly engineered novel functions. The origin and progress of my research in this field are discussed.     

Sustainable chemistry challenges from a developing country perspective: Education,plastic pollution,and beyond

Making current chemistry practice sustainable is a relatively new issue in developing countries. The current curricula for chemists' and engineers' education barely consider environmental sustainability as its own component. This make it difficult to train human resources to have consciousness about the implications of synthetizing chemicals with multiple applications while also considering the life cycle of the chemical and its final fate in the environment. For example, during the last Latin American Federation of Chemical Associations meeting in 2016, not a single paper was devoted to sustainable chemistry issues. This paucity is a clear demonstration that educational curricula must progress to include sustainability in order to raise the concern of a new generation of professionals. This issue is also linked to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and that of sustainable production and consumption. One element that may help raise concern of sustainable chemistry may be concentrated in problems that raise public interest, one being plastic pollution initially raised as a marine litter issue, but which is a far more complex problem, since plastic polymers contain a great variety of chemicals that complicate recycling and final disposal, but which brings the opportunity to address the issue of chemicals in the environment through some upstream solutions (i.e., before the plastics can become an environmental concern). Without doubt, we need strong education in chemical synthesis and green chemistry principles to address molecular design and minimize impacts ab initio, in addition to a pursuit of material innovation. It is also necessary to think of customers’ needs, where chemistry meets economy and social sciences, and which can barely be observed in current chemistry and engineering curricula in developing countries. Possible solutions might be generated from an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented perspective.     

The nexus between alternatives assessment and green chemistry: supporting the development and adoption of safer chemicals

ABSTRACT

Alternatives assessment and green chemistry share a common goal of supporting the transition to safer, more sustainable chemicals, materials, and products. Yet the two fields, and their respective scientific communities, are not well integrated. To better understand the nexus between alternatives assessment and green chemistry as complementary approaches to support the development and adoption of safer, more sustainable chemicals for specific functional uses, this article discusses the foundations of the two fields and examines two case examples in which companies have utilized the tools and approaches of both disciplines in developing safer chemical solutions. This research demonstrates the importance and utility of the overlapping skillsets and tools of the two disciplines and the potential benefit of educational opportunities and collaborative spaces in jointly strengthening both fields. Additionally, the literature and case examples identify a number of research and practice needs that would bolster the application of both alternatives assessment and green chemistry in supporting the transition to safer, more sustainable chemistry, including: clearer definitions and criteria of what is ‘safer’; improved approaches to evaluate potential unintended consequences of chemical applications; and more effective tools to evaluate toxicity, consider inherent exposure trade-offs, and combine multiple attributes to make an informed decision.     

Perspectives in application of screw reactors in plastics processing

Twin-screw reactors have proven to be a good technical and economical solution for the synthesis of polymers and their chemical modification. The main mechanical and process criteria for the chemical reaction process for this type of reactor are discussed. Examples for products economically produced already today and an outlook for other new processes under development are given.     

UN sustainable development goals: How can sustainable/green chemistry contribute? Green chemistry as a source of sustainable innovations in the cosmetic industry

Sustainable innovation is a key-objective for our Group that has recently integrated the principles of sustainable development into all stages of a product's life cycle, from its design to consumer use. The following ambitious commitment: 100% of its products should bring an environmental (or social benefit) by 2020, will be reached, in particular, by integrating and giving a constant privilege to renewable raw materials -or ingredients-that originate from sustainable resources that fully comply with the green chemistry rules. In this short review, integration of Green Chemistry principles by our Group, strategies to identify new performing ingredients through sustainable chemistry as well as illustrative examples of innovative raw materials will be presented. With regard to the crucial respect of the environment of our planet, sustainable chemistry has become an indispensable turning point for industrial groups highly devoted to innovation.     

绿色化学及其绿色系统工程技术与环境友好

绿色化学理念的基本内涵既有微观意义又有宏观意义与工程技术的意义。绿色化学及其绿色技术在社会生产与生活、传统化学工业改造与创新、资源合理充分利用与循环再生、绿色净化与监测、环境保护与开发等方面发挥重要作用。实施绿色化学及其绿色系统工程技术,使社会生产、生活绿色化,实现人类与环境友好对话,建设“环境友好”家园,营造“环境和谐”生活,是坚持可持续发展、科学发展核心战略的重要举措,是当今世界人类面临的重大挑战与机遇。     

The Contribution of Catalysis for the Realization of GSC in the Twenty-First Century

The drastic climate change on global scale is becoming very serious. To curb the anthropogenic CO₂ emissions will be one of the most important issues for the human society in the twenty-first century. The chemical industry can contribute to this issue from the viewpoint of green sustainable chemistry. We have been establishing various innovative catalyst technologies and can still continue further efforts. Considering the existence of huge infrastructure of the conventional processes based on fossil resources, it would be very difficult to turn into new technologies based on sustainable resources quickly and straightforwardly. Thus it may be good to apply more practical strategies along the realistic time line. Here we propose a strategy comprised of establishing more energy-effective chemical processes based on fossil resources in short term, utilizing biomasses as chemical feedstocks in large scale in middle term, and pursuit of the artificial photosynthesis as a final goal in long term. In this article, several topics in each category are introduced.     

水电解析氢低贵/非贵金属催化剂的研究进展

氢气作为能量载体的氢能技术由于其清洁性、高能量密度等优势已获得越来越多的青睐与关注. 其中,可持续的产氢技术是未来氢能经济发展的必要先决条件. 通过可再生资源电力驱动的电解水技术是支持氢能经济可持续发展的重要途径,高活性、低成本的析氢催化剂的开发利用是提高水电解技术效率并降低其成本的关键因素. 本文主要介绍了近年来包括低铂催化剂和金属硫化物、金属磷化物、金属硒化物等非铂过渡金属催化剂在析氢方面的研究进展,详细讨论了析氢反应的催化性能、合成方法以及结构?鄄催化性能的关系,最后总结展望了水电解低铂及非铂过渡金属催化剂在未来发展过程中所面临的机遇与挑战.     

Is There No End to the Total Syntheses of Strychnine? Lessons Learned in Strategy and Tactics in Total Synthesis

From the 19th century to the present, the complex indole alkaloid strychnine has engaged the chemical community. In this Review, we examine why strychnine has been and remains today an important target for directed synthesis efforts. A selection of the diverse syntheses of strychnine is discussed with the aim of identifying their influence on the evolution of the strategy and tactics of organic synthesis.     

UK delivery of traceable chemical measurements in the 21st century: building on the foundation of the VAM programme

The paper discusses the requirements for achieving traceable chemical measurements in the UK. It is emphasised that success will depend on establishing an appropriate UK chemical measurement infrastructure and encouraging reference and field laboratories to make use of it. The demanding requirements of the BIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) also require a point of focus to link UK reference laboratories into international metrology. Two key factors are described which have provided the UK with the means to meet these requirements and which have established a sound basis on which to build a system of traceable chemical measurements in the 21st century. These two factors are LGC's long-standing role as the UK's national centre for analytical chemistry and the development and delivery over many years of the UK's Valid Analytical Measurement (VAM) Programme.     

中国农民工问题与研究四十年：从“剩余劳动力”到“城市新移民”

农民工进入学术视野已约四十年,特别是21世纪以来,农民工问题成为中国社会科学领域最重要的学术热点。本文采用知识社会学的方法,回顾和梳理过去四十年农民工问题与研究的演变脉络。在改革开放之初,农民工之所以成为“社会问题”,源于农民工大量出现给城市管理带来前所未有的挑战,让市民和城市管理者感到压力。四十年来,伴随着流动人口和城市化政策的变迁,农民工群体经历了从被视为社会问题的“制造者”到社会发展的“牺牲者”和“城市新移民”的转变;同时,农民工研究也依次经历了“剩余劳动力”视角、“流动人口”视角、“劳工阶级”视角和“城市新移民”视角等四种基本范式的转变。尽管农民工研究取得了丰富的成果,但随着中国进入“后世界工厂”时代以及城市化步入中后期,未来的农民工问题及其研究如何发展依然值得期待。     

Liquid Chromatography—Its Development and Key Role in Life Science Applications

Liquid chromatographic methods cover the broadest range of applications imaginable today. Nowhere is this more evident and relevant than in the life sciences, where identification of target substances relevant in disease mechanisms is performed down to the femtomole level. On the other hand, purification of therapeutic drugs on a multi‐ton scale is performed by process LC. The complexity and abundance range of biological systems in combination with the extreme purity requirements for drug manufacturing are the challenges that can be mastered today by chromatography, after more than a century of research and development. However, significant improvement is still required for a better understanding of the scientific fundamentals of the underlying phenomena and exploiting those for an enhanced quality of live.     

Water purification by membranes: The role of polymer science

Two of the greatest challenges facing the 21st century involve providing sustainable supplies of clean water and energy, two highly interrelated resources, at affordable costs. Membrane technology is expected to continue to dominate the water purification technologies owing to its energy efficiency. However, there is a need for improved membranes that have higher flux, are more selective, are less prone to various types of fouling, and are more resistant to the chemical environment, especially chlorine, of these processes. This article summarizes the nature of the global water problem and reviews the state of the art of membrane technology. Existing deficiencies of current membranes and the opportunities to resolve them with innovative polymer chemistry and physics are identified. Extensive background is provided to help the reader understand the fundamental issues involved. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Research Progress in Hydrogen Evolution Low Noble/Non-Precious Metal Catalysts of Water Electrolysis北大核心CSCD

Hydrogen energy technology with hydrogen as an energy carrier is gaining more and more attention due to its cleanliness and high energy density.Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been listed as one of the ultimate energy technologies in the 21st century.Among them, sustainable hydrogen production technology is a necessary prerequisite for the future development of hydrogen energy economy.Electrolyzed water technology driven by renewable resources represents an important way to support the sustainable development of hydrogen energy economy.The development and utilization of high activity, low cost hydrogen evolution catalysts is a key factor in improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of water electrolysis technology.This paper mainly introduces the recent research progress of hydrogen evolution catalysts including low platinum catalysts and non-platinum transition metal catalysts such as metal sulfides metal phosphides, metal selenides, etc; catalytic properties, synthesis methods, and structure-catalytic properties.Finally, the advantages and challenges of water electrolysis low platinum and non-platinum transition metal catalysts in the future development are prospected. © 2018 Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.     

Recent Advances on the Development of Protein-Based Adhesives for Wood Composite Materials—A Review

The industrial market depends intensely on wood-based composites for buildings, furniture, and construction, involving significant developments in wood glues since 80% of wood-based products use adhesives. Although biobased glues have been used for many years, notably proteins, they were replaced by synthetic ones at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly due to their better moisture resistance. Currently, most wood adhesives are based on petroleum-derived products, especially formaldehyde resins commonly used in the particleboard industry due to their high adhesive performance. However, formaldehyde has been subjected to strong regulation, and projections aim for further restrictions within wood-based panels from the European market, due to its harmful emissions. From this perspective, concerns about environmental footprint and the toxicity of these formulations have prompted researchers to re-investigate the utilization of biobased materials to formulate safer alternatives. In this regard, proteins have sparked a new and growing interest in the potential development of industrial adhesives for wood due to their advantages, such as lower toxicity, renewable sourcing, and reduced environmental footprint. This work presents the recent developments in the use of proteins to formulate new wood adhesives. Herein, it includes the historical development of wood adhesives, adhesion mechanism, and the current hotspots and recent progress of potential proteinaceous feedstock resources for adhesive preparation.     

Nachhaltige Bausteine für die Kunststoff‐Herstellung

Plant oils are currently the principle resource for the production of bio‐based, high performance polymers, such as polyamides. This process is facilitated by giant strides in chemical catalysis and biotechnology, which allows conversion of vegetable oils in “drop‐in” chemical building blocks. These bio‐based polymer building blocks have equivalent chemical and physical properties as well as similar cost structures compared to conventional petrochemical synthesis feedstock. This allows integration of bio‐based resources into industrial production processes without significant adaptations in logistics or process configuration. However, only use of synergies between chemical and biotechnological unit operations will in future provide for sustainable and eco‐efficient process designs. To allow sustainable supply of bio‐oils to a growing chemical industry without a significant impact on food production demands development of alternative bio‐oil sourcing strategies. In this respect the development of processes for the production of microbial oils, which have equivalent chemical properties to their plant counterparts is imperative. One leading option is the biotechnological conversion of agricultural and food waste streams into microbial oils by combining enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentative production using oleaginous organisms, such as yeasts.     

The mutual responses of higher plants to environment: physiological and microbiological aspects

Higher plants are different from animals in many aspects, but the important difference may be that plants are more easily influenced by environment. Plants have a series of fine mechanisms for responding to environmental changes, which has been established during their long-period evolution and artificial domestication. The relationship between higher plants and environment is influenced mutually. The component in environment provides higher plants with nutrients for shaping themselves and higher plants simultaneously bring photosynthetic products and metabolites to surroundings, which is the most important part of natural circle. Photosynthetic products are realized mainly by physiological mechanisms, and microbiological aspects in environment (for instance, soil environment) impact the above processes greatly. The complete understanding of the relationship will extremely promote the sustainable utilization of plant resources and make the best use of its current potential under different scales.