SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Grand Challenges and Research Needs
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by the American Chemical Society, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (X3-83159901), Los Alamos National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy; 98627-01-04AX), and the National Science Foundation (CTS-051698Q), with additional sponsorship from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (SB1344105W0298), and the American Institute of Chemical Engineering.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE ON GRAND CHALLENGES FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Chairperson
JAMES A. TRAINHAM, III,
PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Members
VICTOR ATIEMO-OBENG,
Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI
MICHAEL D. BERTOLUCCI,
Interface Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA
JOAN F. BRENNECKE,
University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
BERKELEY W. CUE,
Private Consultant, Ledyard, CT
JEAN DE GRAEVE,
Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
JAMES E. HUTCHISON,
University Of Oregon, Eugene, OR
ANDREA LARSON,
University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
PAMELA G. MARRONE,
Agraquest, Inc., Davis, CA
FRANKIE WOOD-BLACK,
ConocoPhillips, Houston, TX
National Research Council Staff
KAREN LAI, Research Associate
TINA M. MASCIANGIOLI, Program Officer
ERICKA MCGOWAN, Research Associate
SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate
DAVID C. RASMUSSEN, Project Assistant
DOROTHY ZOLANDZ, Director
BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Co-chairs
A. WELFORD CASTLEMAN, JR. (NAS),
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
ELSA REICHMANIS (NAE),
Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ
Members
PAUL T. ANASTAS,
Green Chemistry Institute, Washington, DC
DENISE M. BARNES,
Independent Consultant, Snellville, GA
MARK E. DAVIS (NAE),
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
JEAN DE GRAEVE,
Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
MILES P. DRAKE,
Air Products & Chemical Company, Allentown, PA
CATHERINE C. FENSELAU,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
GEORGE W. FLYNN (NAS),
Columbia University, New York, NY
MAURICIO FUTRAN (NAE),
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, New Brunswick, NJ
LOU ANN HEIMBROOK,
Merck & Company, Inc., Rahway, NJ
ROBERT HWANG,
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
JAY V. IHLENFELD,
3M Research & Development, St. Paul, MN
JAMES L. KINSEY (NAS),
Rice University, Houston, TX
MARTHA A. KREBS,
California Energy Commission, Los Angeles, CA
WILLIAM A. LESTER, JR.,
University of California, Berkeley, CA
GREGORY O. NELSON,
Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN
GERALD V. POJE,
Independent Consultant, Vienna, VA
DONALD PROSNITZ,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
MATTHEW V. TIRRELL (NAE),
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
National Research Council Staff
KAREN LAI, Research Associate
TINA M. MASCIANGIOLI, Program Officer
ERICKA M. MCGOWAN, Research Associate
SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate
DAVID C. RASMUSSEN, Project Assistant
DOROTHY ZOLANDZ, Director
Preface
Key players in chemistry and chemical engineering sectors believe that generating economically viable alternatives to current reliance on fossil fuels and business practices that degrade the regenerative capabilities of natural systems—sustainability—are critical to global leadership by the U.S. chemical industry. Government interest in sustainability revolves around assuring the future environmental and economic integrity of the nation, while industrial interest usually arises from a concern for the long-term viability of a company or an entire industry.
An interagency group has been meeting informally on the topic of science for sustainability for several years. Membership in this group includes officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Members of this group have been meeting with representatives from organizations such as the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the American Chemistry Council, and the Council for Chemical Research to focus on the goal of achieving a “sustainable chemical enterprise”. This subgroup wants to increase the application of the principles of sustainability to decision-making in the chemical industry by improving the science and technology base that can inform such decisions.
The Committee on Grand Challenges for Sustainability in the Chemical Industry, established by the National Academies, through its Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST), was asked to assist this group
of government and non-governmental representatives in defining a path forward for the chemical industry in this area. The committee was composed of 10 experts in the areas of: chemistry, chemical synthesis and process engineering, green chemistry and engineering approaches and education, biotechnology, agricultural chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, industrial research management, business strategy and innovation, toxicology, and environmental health and safety. The group met nine times via teleconference to plan the workshop held February 7-8, 2005 in Washington, DC. The full committee met for the first time in a face-to-face meeting held in conjunction with the workshop. The fundamental premise of the committee’s efforts throughout this study was to focus attention on those areas posing the greatest science and technical challenges for addressing sustainability in the chemical industry. The committee would like to thank all the organizations funding the study for recognizing the need to provide leadership and help stimulate work to address sustainability in the chemical industry. Major sponsors include the American Chemical Society, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Los Alamos National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy), and the National Science Foundation, with additional sponsorship from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineering.
Jim Trainham,
Chair
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This workshop report has been reviewed in draft form bypersons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Dr. R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Dr. William L. Chameides, Environmental Defense, New York, NY
Dr. Robert R. Dorsch, DuPont Bio-Based Materials, Wilmington, DE
Dr. Miles P. Drake, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA
Dr. Thomas E. Graedel, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Dr. Royce W. Murray, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Mr. Sam Smolik, Shell Chemical, Houston, TX
Dr. Jack Solomon, Praxair, Inc., Danbury, CT
Dr. John C. Warner, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the workshop report before its release. The review was overseen by Dr. W.
Carl Lineberger, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, appointed by the National Research Council and Dr. David C. Bonner, Intellectual Property Business International, LLC, Houston, TX, appointed by the Division on Earth and Life Studies, who were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.