2015 Green Chemistry for Life research grants
Six innovative research projects were selected among 119 applications to receive the support of the Green Chemistry for Life project, which was created by UNESCO, PhosAgro and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) to promote the sustainable use and design of chemicals and chemical processes. Applications were evaluated by an international scientific jury composed of renowned scientists representing leading international, regional and national chemical institutions.
The grants will be given formally to recipients in Saint Petersburg on 15 December 2015.
The 2015 Green Chemistry for Life research grants were awarded to:
Dr Alexander BISSEMBER (Australia)
Project: Development of new, viable and inexpensive visible light copper photocatalysts.
Dr Daniele Leonori (Italy)
Project: Harnessing Nitrogen-Centred Radicals via Visible Light-Mediated Photoredox Catalysis.
Dr Mehdi MOHAMMADI (Iran)
Project: Enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste oil by using two lipases covalently immobilized on magnetic silica nanocomposite; the use of green isocyanide-based multicomponent reaction for enzyme immobilization.
Dr Allan PRIOR (South Africa)
Project: A bio-renewable and bio-catalytic approach toward the synthesis of higher value organic products from anacardic acid found in cashew nut shells, a by-product of cashew nut farming in Africa.
Dr Natalia QUICI (Argentina)
Project: From waste to fuel: 3D-printed gas phase reactors for low cost methane photocatalytic synthesis by reduction of emitted CO2 in water treatment.
Dr Svilen SIMEONOV (Bulgaria)
Project: Novel biorefinery concept for the conversion of carbohydrates into valuable building blocks.
Five of the 2015 recipients of the Green Chemistry for Life research grants participated in a Symposium on “Opportunities in green chemistry for young scientists and international co-operation” organised by UNESCO, together with PhosAgro and IUPAC in Busan, Republic of Korea, on 10 August 2015.
© UNESCO/ V. Zharov
Opportunities in green chemistry for young scientists and international co-operation Symposium, Busan, Republic of Korea, August 2015.
