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The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York is a world leading research centre which aims to promote the development and implementation of green and sustainable chemistry and related technologies into new products and processes.
The Centre is associated with or administers a number of green chemistry activities in the areas of research, industrial collaboration, the development of educational and promotional materials and networking both with academia and industry. For more information about the centre please visit the links under individual activity areas:
Research
Research
Led by Professor James Clark, is based in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York. The group has a long established reputation for working closely with industry and fostering interdisciplinary research through close collaboration with chemical engineering and other discipline.
The interest areas of the green chemistry group cover a broad spectrum of subjects and involve both fundamental and applied research. Our particular areas of research excellence can be broadly grouped into the following four main areas:
Education
Education
The Green Chemistry Centre is involved with many different areas of education, these have been categorised below:- Masters Course in Green Chemistry & Sustainable Industrial Technology - This innovative masters course is run in collaboration with a wide range of companies and organisations that manufacture or use chemicals or are involved in chemicals management and policy
- Industrial Technology Continuing Professional Development Programme: E-Learning Courses and Contact-Based Masterclasses in Green Chemistry - For industry, government, NGOs, healthcare organisations, retail, trade associations, R&D and other organisations with interests in sustainable development and greener products
- Green Chemistry Network
- Green Chemistry & the Consumer
- Green Consumer Products (Outreach)
- Centre's Outreach Activities
Industry
Industrial Collaborations
Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence for Industry
- Improving & developing innovative products for industry through the application of green chemistry and clean chemical technology
- Delivering innovative, cost effective and sustainable solutions in a tailored and efficient manner
Our 4 Technology Platforms
Networking
Networking
- Green Chemistry Network - The Green Chemistry Network (GCN) aims to promote awareness and facilitate education, training and practice of Green Chemistry in industry, commerce, central, regional and local government, academia and schools.
- - The aim of SUSTOIL is to develop advanced biorefinery schemes to convert whole EU oil-rich crops into energy, food and bioproducts making optimal uses of the side streams generated during farming/harvesting, primary processing and secondary processing.
- Star-COLIBRI - The project involves 5 European Technology Platforms and 5 major European Research organisations. Star-COLIBRI aims at overcoming fragmentation and promoting cross-fertilization in the area of biorefineries research
- Franco-British Collaboration - A collaboration focusing on talks and discussions about the relevant technical expertise and activities of the UK and French partners in the areas of the production of platform molecules from biomass (Industries and Agro Research Cluster and collaborators) and downstream chemistry of platform molecules (Green Chemistry Centre and GCN and collaborators)
Projects
Projects
Please find a list of the current projects within the Green Chemistry Centre:
NEW:
We are working with a major multinational HPC company on the utilization of waste streams as feedstcoks for manufacturing novel green and sustainable products.
Biorefinery Demonstrator funded by ERDF - We will develop a nationally significant bio-refinery technology demonstrator based on microwave that involves continuous processing and flexibility of feedstock and product (solid and liquid fuels and chemical intermediates)
Bio-Boards - The project will involve the use of a biorefinery approach in generating all of the main components of general purpose boards from biomass. A full supply chain partnership has been brought together to achieve this goal.
Microwave Projects - With our ever dwindling geological reserves of non-renewable hydrocarbon resources and the prospects of their continued use further driving global warming/ecological damage, new sources of fuels must be found. The solution is likely to take the form of a multifaceted approach including the use of nuclear, solar, wind, wave and biofuels for our future energy needs.
Utilisation of Biofuel Co-Products Using Green Chemical Technology - The project carried out by the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence in partnership with a local SMEtargets the valorization of side streams from the processing of used cooking oil into biofuel. The Partnership have found a number of applications for glycerin (anaerobic digestion and conversion into added value chemicals) and is progressing towards the development of viable routes for the use of food waste.
SWIFT (Switchable Adhesives for Flooring Tiles) - A novel adhesive, derived from a renewable source, has been developed to aid carpet tile recycling. The switchable adhesive allows tile components to be unzippered at the end-of-life, dramatically reducing textile waste and the industry’s impact on the environment. A partnership with 3 UK companies has been brought together to bring this to commercial fruition.
Green Flooring Based on Bio-derived Plastisols - This collaborative project focuses on developing a renewable alternative to replace PVC in flooring applications. The research involves the examination of numerous natural polymers and bio-based molecules by utilising different techniques in order to invent a product with comparable performance that of PVC.
