Sustainability in the Chemical Industry

Through innovative design, creation, processing, use, and disposal of substances, the chemical industry plays a major role in advancing applications to support sustainability in a way that will allow humanity to meet current environmental, economic, and societal needs without compromising the progress and success of future generations. Based on a workshop held in February 2005 that brought together a broad cross section of disciplines and organizations in the chemical industry, this report identifies a set of overarching Grand Challenges for Sustainability research in chemistry and chemical engineering to assist the chemical industry in defining a sustainability agenda. These Grand Challenges include life cycle analysis, renewable chemical feedstocks, and education, among others. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2. Enabling Science and Technology That Drives the Application of Sustainable Chemistry 3. New Chemistries and Processes That Lead to Commercially Viable Alternative Feedstocks to Fossil Fuels 4. Addressing the Energy Intensity of the Chemical and Allied Process Industry 5. Sustainability Science Literacy and Education That Enables the Adoption of More Sustainable Practices in the Chemical Industry 6. Conclusions and Recommendations Appendix A. Statement of Task Appendix B. Committee Biosketches Appendix C. Workshop Agenda Appendix D. Workshop Summary Appendix E. Summary of Workshop Breakout Sessions Appendix F. Workshop Speaker Biographies Appendix G. List of Workshop Participants