Research Axes

Catalysis provides an avenue to redesign how
molecules are prepared and is thus a key aspect of Green Chemistry and
sustainability efforts. Axis members will engage in all forms of catalysis as
they are inherently complimentary. Homogeneous catalysis is often the entry
point to reaction discovery and will be exploited to create innovative routes
to pharmaceuticals or polymers, renewable resource utilization (Axis 3) or
light-driven catalysts (Axis 2). These can be interfaced with heterogeneous
catalysis, which offer routes to recycle catalysts and high stability, and as
such are key for large-scale applications. Nature’s catalysts, biocatalysts,
are extraordinarily effective systems that can function in a Green solvent,
water (Axis 2), and be deliberately modified to enhance their performance for
the creation of pharmaceuticals or other fine chemicals.

This Axis explores the development of fundamentally new ways to make molecules in a
Green fashion and to integrate these new routes with emerging technologies to
augment their sustainability. Examples include replacing toxic solvents with
benign alternatives, using no solvent conditions via mechanochemistry, or
exploiting photochemistry to cleanly make or break bonds. Alternatively,
continuous flow synthesis offers a route to readily scale processes and has
become the industry standard for producing key reaction intermediates.

The conversion of biomass and other abundant resources into valuable products creates new opportunities for Québec’s bioeconomy. Axis 3 seeks to move from an existing petrochemical-based chemical industry to one based on abundant materials occurring in Nature. Examples include the valorization of waste chitin, lignin and cellulose into Earth-friendly plastics, the conversion of CO2 to valuable commodities, and Green methods to refine metals. Axis 3 naturally interacts with the other Axes through its use of catalysis (Axis 1), exploiting clean reaction tools (Axis 2), or biomass derived molecules for energy storage (Axis 4).

Addressing energy use is a key aspect of Axes 1-3, as the chemical enterprise consumes an ca. 15% of the World’s energy. Axis 4 looks to build on this energy thrust in a different direction: to create clean technologies to facilitate the drive toward renewable energy use and thus help enable Québec’s “Plan for a Green Economy” by doing so sustainably. This new Axis explores Green molecular solutions to energy storage and catalytic methods to harness renewable energy. Key to Axis 4 success is its interplay with the other Axes: Green synthesis (Axis 2) will be used to prepare electroactive organic molecules for redox flow batteries, photoactive catalysts (Axis 1) exploited to generate ‘Green hydrogen’ (H2) fuels from water, or earth abundant metals (Axis 3) used to create new batteries.

Green Chemistry advances must be carefully evaluated at every step to ensure they are truly benign and thus fulfill the goals of Green technologies. While these issues have not historically been a priority for many scientists, they are crucial to ensuring that the field moves forward. Axis 5 researchers will explore the environmental fate and toxicity of products, apply Green Chemistry metrics to discoveries made in each the Axes above, and integrate our advances with policy development to inform policy experts of new advances as well as accelerate the adoption of new technologies. In addition to their research, Axis 5 members will carry out workshops to help integrate these tools into the efforts of other CCVC members.