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Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge was established to recognize and promote innovative chemical technologies that prevent pollution and have broad applicability in industry. The Challenge is sponsored by the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute and other members of the chemical community.
Scope of the Program
- A. Source Reduction
- B. Green Chemistry
- C. Eligibility of Organizations for Awards
- D. Additional Requirements
A. Source Reduction
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge recognizes chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. For the purposes of the program, green chemistry is defined as the use of chemistry for source reduction.
The term "source reduction" includes any practice which:
(i) reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and
(ii) reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.
The term includes equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control.
The term "source reduction" does not include any practice which alters the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or providing a service.
Source reduction prevents the formation of any hazardous substance in any chemical product or process. Source reduction is the highest tier of the risk management hierarchy as described in the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). It is preferable to recycling, treatment, or disposal. Chemical technologies that include recycling, treatment, and disposal may be eligible for the Challenge Program if they offer source reduction over traditional technologies for recycling, treatment, and disposal.
B. Green Chemistry
Green chemistry reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances from chemical products and processes. Green chemistry improves upon all types of chemical products and processes by reducing impacts on human health and the environment relative to competing technologies.
Green chemistry technologies encompass all types of chemical processes including syntheses, catalyses, reaction conditions, separations, analyses, and monitoring. A green chemistry technology can involve implementing incremental improvements at any stage. It can, for example, substitute a greener feedstock, reagent, catalyst, or solvent in an existing synthetic pathway. A green chemistry technology also can involve substituting an improved product or an entire synthetic pathway. Ideally, a green chemistry technology incorporates the principles of green chemistry at the earliest design stages of a new product or process. Benefits to human health and the environment may occur at any points in the technology’s lifecycle: extraction, synthesis, use, and ultimate fate.
C. Eligibility of Organizations for Awards
Companies (including nonprofit organizations) and their representatives are eligible for Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for operating outstanding or innovative source reduction programs (including research programs).
Public academic institutions, such as state and tribal universities and their representatives, are eligible for Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for projects or programs that prevent, reduce or eliminate air or water pollution or the adverse health effects of solid waste entering into the waste stream.
D. Additional Requirements
To be eligible for an award, a green chemistry technology must have reached a significant milestone within the past five years (e.g., been researched, demonstrated, implemented, applied, patented, etc.). It must also have a significant U.S. component: the research, development, or aspects of the technology that occurred within the United States. If the only aspect of the technology within the Unites States is product sales, the nomination may not meet the scope of the program.
If you have a question about the eligibility of your technology, please email us at greenchemistry@epa.gov
Grants
Although the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program does not provide an independent vehicle for green chemistry grants, it has supported the EPA/National Science Foundation (NSF) partnership for environmental research. In the past, "Technology for a Sustainable Environment" grant solicitations have been available through this partnership to addresses the technological and environmental issues of design, synthesis, processing, production, and use of products in continuous and discrete manufacturing industries.