By Alicia Battaglia, Graduate Student and Education and Outreach Coordinator of the Green Chemistry Initiative at the University of Toronto Goal of the Workshop The goal of this workshop was to offer graduate students a chance to learn about green chemistry and discover practical methods for integrating it into their own research projects. Additionally, the workshop included discussions on alternative career paths in chemistry, such as opportunities in non-profit organizations. Workshop Content During the first portion of the workshop, participants engaged in an interactive session led by Dr ..read more

By Cici Chenyu Yue, Undergraduate student, Member-at-Large for the GCI Given the urgent goal to reach net zero by 2050, many new carbon capture techniques have emerged in literature. One such promising method is Monoethanolamine (MEA) amine scrubbing due to its high capacity and usefulness at industrially relevant scales. In MEA amine scrubbing, MEA reacts with CO2 in the atmosphere to generate carbamate (RNHCOO–) and bicarbonate (HCO3–), two which are economically useful reagents. To return back to MEA, the carbamate must then go through a regeneration step in water, whereby the carbamate N-C ..read more

By Victoria Kirou, Department of Chemical Engineering – Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory Technician and GCI member at large Chemistry and engineering, while distinct disciplines, converge on a shared commitment to sustainability and green chemistry. In exploring the differences between these fields, it becomes evident that the common ground lies in their dedication to addressing environmental challenges. Lash Miller houses Engineering undergrads from 4 disciplines; Civil, Material Science, Engineering Science and most importantly Chemical. Students delve into analytical, inorganic, and organ ..read more

A Perspective from the ACS Sustainability Summit: Reimagining Chemistry Education.   By Francisco Yarur Villanueva, Graduate Student and Co-Chair of the Green Chemistry Initiative at the University of Toronto.  Goal of the Summit The summit focused on reimagining chemistry education to include green chemistry and sustainability in the curriculum. Several panel discussions were held between educators and stakeholders, aimed at consolidating a long-lasting educational synergy that will advance the field of chemistry in the right direction (i.e., considering societal and environmen ..read more

By Yen Zhen Tan, GCI Member at Large Green chemistry has quietly infiltrated our daily lives, bringing about significant transformations in commonplace items such as straws, cleaning products, and electronics. This article delves into the impact of green chemistry on these everyday products. Straws While plastics have undeniably revolutionized our lives, the escalating accumulation of plastic waste poses a severe threat to our natural environment. The fragmentation of plastic into microplastics further compounds the issue, entering the food chain and posing potential harm to human health. Fig ..read more

By Jacob Przywolski, MSc in the Seferos group at the University of Toronto and GCI member at large The future is going to be run on hydrogen fuels, or at least that is what many scientists are hoping to accomplish. Imagine a world where fossil fuels and their by-products won’t be filling the sky due to commuting cars in the mornings and evenings, and instead make odor-less water. Or imagine if your whole home could be powered by a hydrogen-filled crystal like in the movie Glass Onion, but much less explosive and more realistic. Now of course, these ideas are just highly idealized versions of u ..read more

By Shine Huang, PhD. Student in the Tran Research Group at the University of Toronto and GCI Website + Blog Executive Solar cells harness the power of the sun to generate electricity and are a key technology in the field of renewable energy. However, many people are unaware that chemists can also harness the power of light for reactions through photochemistry. Photochemistry is an enormous field with many different reactions. Some photochemical reactions substitute high heats or dangerous chemicals with moderate conditions. Other photochemical reactions generate molecules that are impossible t ..read more

By Victor Lotocki, Ph.D. Student in the Seferos Research Group at the University of Toronto It isn’t a surprise that the world has a plastic problem that impacts human and environmental health, yet we continue to over-rely on the material. In Canada, for example, plastic is found in 95% of manufactured goods, most of which are single-use.1  Recognizing the issue, in October 2020, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.2 Since only 9% of plastics are recycled in the country, Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Agend ..read more

By Margaret Zhang, a graduate student in the Winnik Group at the University of Toronto and the Secretary for the GCI The Cosmetic Industry Cosmetics are products that can be applied to the human body to beautify, cleanse, and target certain topical concerns.1 The global revenue of the industry was 380 billion USD in 2019 and is expected to reach 463 billion USD in 2027.2 You can find a variety of cosmetic products in drugstores ranging from lipsticks and eyeshadows to moisturizers and anti-aging creams. Figure 1. Cosmetic products.3 Current Problems in The Cosmetic Industry A long-term problem ..read more

By Jose Jimenez Santiago, a graduate student in the Song Group at the University of Toronto The problem with solvents Solvent has been defined as a “liquid that has the property to dissolve, dilute, or extract other materials without causing a chemical modification of these substances or itself”1. In chemical sciences and industry, most solvents come from the petrochemical industry. In 2020, the production of organic solvents surpassed 28 million metric tons2. This intensive consumption of solvents comes with a large concern with respect to sustainability, environment, safety, and health. &nbs ..read more