United States
Environmental
Protection
Agency
4>EPA Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge
Awards Program:
Nomination Package for
2015 Awards
CHfc
Closing Date: December 31, 2014
An electronic version of this document is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry
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for
Contents
Introduction 1
Definitions 1
A. Green Chemistry 1
B. Source Reduction 1
Award Categories 2
Scope of the Program 3
1. Green Chemistry Technologies 3
2. Source Reduction 3
3. Eligible Organizations 3
4. Significant Milestone 4
5. Significant U.S. Component 4
6. Three Focus Areas 4
Selection Criteria 5
A. Science and Innovation 5
B. Human Health and Environmental Benefits 5
C. Applicability and Impact 5
The Awards Process 6
A. How to Enter. 6
B. Receipt of Nominations 8
C. Judging Entries 9
D. Notification of Winners 9
Contact Us 9
Sample Cover Page 10
Award Nomination Checklist 11
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Nomination Package for 2015 Awards
THE PRESIDENTIAL GREEN CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AWARDS promote
the environmental and economic benefits of novel green chemistry. These
prestigious annual awards recognize chemical technologies that incorporate green
chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use.
EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention sponsors the Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Awards in partnership with the American Chemical
Society Green Chemistry Institute* and other members of the chemical community.
This nomination package contains explicit instructions on how to enter the
competition. Entries must be sent no later December 31, 2014. EPA will
present the awards at a ceremony in the summer.
A, Chemistry
Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce
or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry
applies across the lifecycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture,
use, and ultimate disposal. Green chemistry is also known as sustainable chemistry.
Green chemistry reduces pollution at its source by minimizing or eliminating the
hazards of chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and products. This is unlike treating
pollution after it is formed (also called remediation), which involves end-of-the-pipe
treatment or cleaning up of environmental spills and other releases. Remediation may
include separating hazardous chemicals from other materials, then treating them so
they are no longer hazardous or concentrating them for safe disposal. Most remediation
activities do not involve green chemistry. Remediation removes hazardous materials
from die environment; on die other hand, green chemistry keeps die hazardous
materials out of the environment in the first place.
However, if a technology reduces or eliminates the hazardous chemicals
used to clean up environmental contaminants, this technology would qualify as a green
chemistry technology. One example is replacing a hazardous sorbent [chemical] used
to capture mercury from the air for safe disposal with an effective, but nonhazardous
sorbent. Using the nonhazardous sorbent means that the hazardous sorbent is never
manufactured so the remediation technology meets die definition of green chemistry.
B.
For the purposes of the program, EPA defines green chemistry as the use of
chemistry for source reduction.
Introduction
Definitions
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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.
Source reduction:
« 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.
« 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.
« 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).
« Is preferable to recycling, treatment, or disposal. Chemical
technologies that include recycling, treatment, and disposal
may be eligible for an award if they offer source reduction over
traditional technologies for recycling, treatment, and disposal.
Award
Categories
EPA usually presents one Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
in each award category. For the 2015 competition, there are six award
categories.
« Focus Area 1: Greener Synthetic Pathways
« Focus Area 2: Greener Reaction Conditions
« Focus Area 3: The Design of Greener Chemicals
« Small Business* (for a technology in any of the three focus areas
developed by a small business)
« Academic (for a technology in any of the three focus areas developed by
an academic researcher)
« Specific Environmental Benefit: Climate Change (for a technology in
any of the three focus areas that reduces greenhouse gas emissions)
*A small business for purposes of this award must have annual sales of less
than $40 million, including all domestic and foreign sales by the company, its
subsidiaries, and its parent company.
More detail about the three Focus Areas is included below.
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To be eligible for an award, a nominated technology must meet the scope of
the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge program by meeting each of
these six criteria:
1. It must be a green chemistry technology with a significant
chemistry component
2. It must include source reduction
3. Its sponsor must be an eligible individual or organization
4. It must have a significant milestone in its development within the
past five years
5. It must have a significant U.S. component
6. It must fit within at least one of the three focus areas of the program
1. Green Chemistry Technologies
Green chemistry technologies are extremely diverse. As a group, they...
« Improve upon any chemical product or process by reducing negative
impacts on human health and the environment relative to competing
technologies
« Include all chemical processes: synthesis, catalysis, reaction
conditions, separations, analysis, and monitoring
« Make improvements at any stage of a chemical's lifecycle, for
example, substituting a greener feedstock, reagent, catalyst, or
solvent in an existing synthetic pathway
« May substitute a single improved product or an entire synthetic
pathway
« Benefit human health and the environment at any point of the
technology's lifecycle: extraction, synthesis, use, and ultimate fate
« Incorporate green chemistry at the earliest design stages of a new
product or process
« Employ a significant change in chemistry, although they may also
incorporate green engineering practices
2. Source Reduction
For this program, EPA defines green chemistry as the use of chemistry for
source reduction. Chemical technologies that include recycling, treatment,
or disposal may meet the scope of the program if they offer source reduction
over competing technologies.
3. Eligible Individuals or Organizations
Companies (including academic institutions and other nonprofit organizations)
and their representatives are eligible for Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Awards for outstanding or innovative source reduction technologies.
Public academic institutions, such as state and tribal universities and their
representatives, are eligible for Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards
for technologies that prevent, reduce, or eliminate air or water pollution or the
adverse health effects of solid waste entering into the waste stream.
Scope of the
Program
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4. Significant Milestone
A green chemistry technology must have reached a significant milestone within the
past five years.
Some examples are:
« Critical discovery made
« Results published
« Patent application submitted or approved
« Pilot plant constructed
« Relevant regulatory review (e.g., by EPA under TSCA1, FIFRA2, or CAA3; by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under FFDCA4) initiated or completed
« Technology implemented or launched commercially
5. Significant U.S. Component
A significant amount of the research, development, or other aspects of the technology
must have occurred within the United States. If the only aspect of the technology within
the Unites States is product sales, the technology may not meet the scope of the program.
6. Focus Areas of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
Green chemistry technologies fit into at least one of the three focus areas
below. Technologies that do not fit within at least one focus area may not fall within
the scope of the program.
Focus Area 1: Greener Synthetic Pathways
This focus area involves designing and implementing a novel, green pathway to
produce either a new or existing chemical substance.
Examples include synthetic pathways that:
« Use greener feedstocks that are innocuous or renewable (e.g., biomass,
triglycerides)
« Use novel reagents or catalysts, including biocatalysts and microorganisms
« Use natural processes, such as fermentation or biomimetic syntheses
« Are atom-economical
« Are convergent syntheses
Focus Area 2: Greener Reaction Conditions
This focus area involves improving conditions other than the overall design or
redesign of a synthesis. Greener analytical methods often fall within this focus area.
Examples include reaction conditions that:
« Replace hazardous solvents with solvents that have less impact on human health
and the environment
« Use solventless reaction conditions and solid-state reactions
« Use novel processing methods that prevent pollution at its source
« Eliminate energy- or material-intensive separation and purification steps
« Improve energy efficiency, including reactions running closer to ambient
conditions
« Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
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Focus Area 3: The Design of Greener Chemicals
This focus area involves designing and implementing chemical products that replace
more hazardous products.
Examples include chemical products that are:
» Less toxic than current products
• Inherently safer because they reduce the likelihood or severity of accidents
» Recyclable or biodegradable after use
» Safer for the atmosphere (e.g., do not deplete ozone, form smog, or contribute
to climate change)
N
ominated chemistry technologies that meet the scope of the program will be Selection
judged on how well they meet the following three selection criteria: Criteria
A. Science and Innovation
The nominated chemistry technology should be innovative and of scientific merit.
The technology should be, for example:
« Original (i.e., never employed before) and
« Scientifically valid, that is, can the nominated technology or strategy stand up
to scientific scrutiny through peer review? Does the nomination contain enough
chemical detail to reinforce or prove its scientific validity? Has the mechanism
of action been clarified via scientific research?
B. Human Health and Environmental Benefits
The nominated chemistry technology should offer human health and/or environmental
benefits at some point in its lifecycle from resource extraction to ultimate disposal.
Quantitative statements of benefits are more useful to the judges than are qualitative ones.
The technology might, for example:
« Reduce toxicity (acute or chronic) or the potential for illness or injury to
humans, animals, or plants
« Reduce flammability or explosion potential
« Reduce the use or generation of hazardous substances, the transport of
hazardous substances, or their releases to air, water, or land
« Improve the use of natural resources, for example, by substituting a
renewable feedstock for a petrochemical feedstock
« Save water or energy
« Reduce the generation of waste, even if the waste is not hazardous
C. Applicability and Impact
The nominated chemistry technology should have a significant impact. The
technology may be broadly applicable to many chemical processes or industries;
alternatively, it may have a large impact on a narrow area of chemistry. Commercial
implementation can help demonstrate the applicability and impact of a technology.
Nominations for pre-commercial technologies should discuss the economic feasibility
of the technology.
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The nominated technology should offer three advantages:
« A practical, cost-effective approach to green chemistry
« A remedy to a real environmental or human health problem
« One or more technical innovations that are readily transferrable to other
processes, facilities, or industry sectors
Awards
Process
A. How to Enter
1. Basic Information
• Award nominations are due to the EPA by December 31, 2014.
Awards will be presented in the summer of 2015.
• Self-nominations are the most common; nominations of others are also
welcomed.
« There is no entry fee.
• There is no standard entry form, but nominations must meet certain
requirements or EPA may reject them.
« You may nominate more than one technology, but you must submit a
separate, stand-alone nomination for each one. Multiple applications of the
same general technology are most likely to win an award if you combine
them in a single nomination.
2. Overall Format
Nominations must have:
« No more than eight pages, including the cover page
« Single-spaced, 12-point type, but references, captions, and footnotes may be
as small as 10-point type
« Margins of at least 1 inch when printed on 8V2-by-ll-inch paper
Nominations may include:
« Chemical reactions, tables, graphs, charts, photographs, diagrams, and other
illustrations within their eight pages.
« Text or illustrations in color, but the judges may read the nominations
printed in black and white; therefore, nominations should not require color
for interpretation.
« Links to published articles, patents, etc. Nominations should not rely on
information in links to present their technology because judges may not
follow any links.
3. Structure of Nominations
The first page must be a cover page with the:
• Technology title and date of the nomination
« Primary sponsor(s): the individual or organizational owner(s) of the
technology. For academic nominations, the primary sponsor is usually the
principal investigator. For nominations with more than one sponsor, each
co-sponsor should have had a significant role in the research, development,
or implementation of the technology
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« Contact person with full mailing address, email address, and telephone
number: the one individual with whom EPA will communicate regarding the
nomination. For academic nominations, the contact person is usually the principal
investigator. For other nominations, the contact should be a project manager or
other technical representative. We add the person listed as the contact to the list
of subscribers for our electronic newsletter. Periodically, we email reminders and
updates about the program to those on our list. You may opt out at any time.
« Contributors (optional): those individuals or organizations that provided
financial or technical support to develop or implement the technology
The second page should contain the following information:
« Technology title
« A sentence indicating whether the nominated technology is eligible for the small
business award, the academic award, both, or neither.
« The name (or number) of the EPA award focus area (or areas) that fits your
technology. The focus areas are (1) greener synthetic pathways; (2) greener
reaction conditions; and (3) the design of greener chemicals. No explanation is
needed.
« One- or two-line description of the most recent milestone for the nominated
technology and the year it occurred. Only one milestone and year are
required; the milestone must be within the last five years.
« One or two sentences describing the U.S. component of the technology: the
research, development, implementation, or other activities of the technology that
occurred within the United States.
« An abstract (not to exceed 300 words) that describes the nominated technology,
the problem it addresses, and its benefits. Include the degree of implementation
(or commercialization) of the technology and any quantitative benefits such as
the amount (or potential amount) of hazardous substances eliminated, energy
saved, carbon dioxide emissions eliminated, water saved, etc. EPA plans to
publish these abstracts in its annual Summary of Award Entries and Recipients.
If you are nominating a technology you submitted in a previous year, you may
use the abstract previously published by EPA in whole or in part. Links to
previous annual summaries of award entries and recipients are available on
the award winner page of our website: http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/.
The information in this section should fit on page 2, but you may continue on page
3 if necessary.
The remaining pages should show how your technology meets both the:
« Scope of the program and
« Three selection criteria
The judges will look for detailed explanations of:
« The problem (environmental or human health risk) that your technology
addresses, its importance, and how your technology solves it.
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« The chemistry of your new technology, emphasizing its novelty and
scientific merit. To be eligible for an award, your technology must include
a significant chemistry component. Include as much nonproprietary
detail as possible, such as the specifics of your chemistry and detailed
reaction pathways. Consider using chemical structure diagrams to
describe your chemistry. You may include patent numbers or references
to peer-reviewed publications, but add only the most important, recent
ones because references take space away from other details of your
technology.
« Realized or potential benefits and drawbacks. These may
occur across all stages of your technology's lifecycle: from feedstocks to
manufacture, use, and the ultimate disposal of the product. Include the
human health, environmental, and economic benefits of your technology
such as toxicity data and quantities of hazardous substances reduced
or eliminated. If you have not done a full lifecycle analysis, discuss the
impacts of your technology across the lifecycle to the extent you know
them.
« How your technology compares with any other technologies
that address the same problem. Comparing the cost, performance,
and environmental profile of your technology with any competing
technologies may demonstrate the broad applicability of your technology.
« Current and planned commercialization. For example, is your
technology currently on the market? Are you building a pilot or
manufacturing plant? If your technology is or is about to be commercially
available, also discuss the regulatory status of any novel chemical
substance or organism under any applicable laws such as TSCA1,
FIFRA2, CAA3, or FFDCA4. EPA must assure that winning technologies
comply with these laws.
4. Submitting Your Nomination to EPA
Submit an electronic copy of your nomination in a format so that EPA can
select and copy text. Include the primary sponsor's name in the file name.
You may want to submit your nomination as a .pdf file to minimize possible
reading errors, but EPA accepts and can read all common file types. Send
the electronic copy by email to greenchemistry@epa.gov. If you encounter
problems submitting your nomination electronically, please contact us at
greenchemistry@epa.gov or (202) 564-8740.
B. Receipt of Nominations
i EPA will consider all entries as public information.
~ EPA will not return any material.
EPA is not responsible for lost or damaged entries.
EPA acknowledges receipt of nominations by email to the Contact
Person identified in the nomination. If EPA does not acknowledge
your nomination within two weeks after you submit it, please contact
us at greenchemistry@epa.gov or (202) 564-8740.
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C. Judging entries
A panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society
Green Chemistry Institute® will judge nominations. These anonymous experts
might include members of the scientific, industrial, governmental, educational,
and environmental communities. EPA may ask the designated contact person
to verify any chemistry described or claims made in nominations on behalf
of the judges. The judges will select as award recipients those green chemistry
technologies that best meet the selection criteria. The judges may use their discretion,
however, to make more than one award (or no award) in any one category.
D. Notification of winners
EPA will notify winners prior to the official public announcement, which will be
made in the summer. EPA will present a commemorative crystal sculpture to the
primary sponsor(s) of the winning green chemistry technology in each of the six
award categories and certificates to individuals identified by the primary sponsor(s)
who contributed to the research, development, or implementation of the technology.
If you have questions about the scope of the program, nomination procedures, or
the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program, please email EPA's Industrial
Chemistry Branch at greenchemistry@epa.gov or call (202) 564-8740.
Contact Us
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Sample Cover
Page
Please use the format below for the cover page of your nomination.
Nominations with an Academic Sponsor
Title of Nomination
Date of Nomination
Primary Sponsor(s):
Full Name (Primary Investigator)
Name of Institution
Contact Person:
Full name
Title
Address
Phone
Email
Contributor (s): (optional) Individuals and/or organizations
Nominations with a Business Sponsor
Title of Nomination
Date of Nomination
Primary Sponsor (s):
Company Name
Contact Person:
Full name
Title
Address
Phone
Email
Contributor (s): (optional) Individuals and/or organizations
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Include the following components (see "How to Enter," page 6, for details):
D Cover page
D One sentence indicating whether the nomination is eligible for the academic
category, the small business category, both, or neither
D Name or number of the EPA award focus area(s) for the nominated technology
D One- or two-line description of the most recent milestone and the year
it occurred
D One or two sentences describing the activities that took place within the
United States
D Abstract (300 words or fewer)
D Detailed description of how the nominated technology meets the scope of the
program and the selection criteria
Award
Nomination
Checklist
is the Toxic Substances Control Act.
^FIFRA is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
3CAA is the Clean Air Act.
4FFDCA is the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
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Toxics (7406M) www.epa.gov
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