Green Chemistry
Catalysis Laboratory

R&D Initiative

Green Chemistry on Green Materials for Feedstocks and Energy
The design and production of more efficient catalysts, and the replacement of fossil fuel-based feedstocks with those based on renewable resources will have multiple positive impacts on our region and nation. Perhaps the most important of these is ensuring an adequate energy supply for generations to come. Also, a sustainable supply of bio-based energy, chemicals and materials will produce new markets for agricultural surpluses and will result in a better balance-of-payments picture. Together, these may produce greater national economic stability and increased national security.

Catalytic Routes to Green Feedstocks
The Green Chemistry Catalysis Laboratory initiative exploits the power of catalysis to convert renewable natural resources into "green" feedstocks. This effort will include the discovery of new catalysts and chemical reactions that will operate in an environmentally friendly manner. The design and synthesis of catalysts for electrochemical, chemical and photochemical activation of biorenewable materials will utilize a number of approaches and materials. Many of the scientists who will collaborate in this initiative are already organized into Biorenewable Resources Consortium teams.

Efforts to design and prepare green feedstocks for use in plastics and lubricants will use a number of approaches and materials, and include such projects as:

• Catalytic oxidation of abundant biorenewable materials such as cornstarch and cellulose to yield feedstock materials;

• Utilization of novel phosphorous-containing catalysts to solubilize cellulosic biomass and make it available for biocatalysis; and

• Development of DNA technologies to prepare conjugated olefins and triglycerides (important ingredients in plastics and lubricants).

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