Mellichamp Academic Initiative in Sustainability at UC Santa Barbara
Sustainable Materials and Product Design
Integrating Physical and Social Science
OVERVIEW
Replacement of conventional technologies by more sustainable versions is by no means automatic or rapid. New approaches must be cost-competitive; in manufacturing, this often means considering large existing capital investments, as well as supply risks. Changing or uncertain regulatory environments also play a role in the willingness of companies to invest in new technologies. A realistic understanding of the economic barriers facing new technologies is an essential part of successful commercialization strategy.
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY
The US chemical industry is a cornerstone of American manufacturing, and the scale of chemical production is immense. The chemical industry produces commodities (large-volume, low-cost basic organic building blocks, such as ethylene, methanol, etc., as well as inorganics such as ammonia...
CONSERVING ENERGY AND FRESHWATER
Many chemical industry practices are highly energy- and water-intensive. For example, the Haber-Bosch process (described above), which produces 500 million tons of ammonia-based fertilizer annually, consumes 1-2 % of the entire world energy supply. Light olefins (ethylene and propylene) ...
REDUCING DEPENDENCE ON CRITICAL METALS AND MINERALS
The precious metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) make highly effective catalysts in a wide range of chemical reactions, due to their readiness to change oxidation states and their reluctance to form recalcitrant oxides. Unfortunately, they are also some of the least abundant elements in the Earth’s...
REDUCING RISK THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN
Reduced risk of exposure and minimal environmental toxicity are important dimensions of sustainable chemistry. Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments and fate and transport studies must be employed to quantify potential emissions of chemicals at different life cycle stages...