Clean catalysis for sustainable development

A sustainable society requires the efficient use of energy and renewable matter. It consequently demands selective new methodologies for the preparation of advanced materials. In this context and as resources based on fossil reserves are rapidly depleting, there are two requirements: first, a change from traditional stoichiometric, high energy methods that produce huge amounts of chemical waste to mild and clean catalytic processes; second, a major step change in chemicals production with fossil fuels being replaced by renewable resources as chemical starter units.
The long term aim and vision of catalysis research at EaStCHEM and of this Critical Mass proposal in particular is to develop all-catalytic routes to useful chemicals from renewable resources. We will provide a research environment that both improves and expands the wide range of catalytic processes used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. To do this we will exploit renewable and alternative feedstocks including CO2, lignocellulose and other feedstocks formed on multimillion tonnes scale as waste products from agriculture and wood processing.
This proposed change in how we access our essential chemicals requires a new generation of catalysts. The challenge is even larger because the renewable substrates are not only difficult to activate (CO2, lignin) but are often available not as pure substrates but as components of a very diverse crude mixtures (e.g. methyl oleate in tall oil). Therefore, novel robust catalysts are required which are capable of combining high activity with superb selectivity and substrate compatibility. The required selectivity resulting in high atom economy, efficiency and environmental factor will only be feasible through the development of new scientific and technological tools. To achieve this challenging objective, existing catalysts must undergo major improvements and new catalysts must be designed for as yet uncatalyzed reactions. As we believe homogenous catalysts offer the unique combination of unprecedented activities and high selectivity, it is timely to combine EaStCHEM's strengths in homogeneous catalysis in this critical mass program to develop sustainable production methods by changing to all-catalytic conversions of renewable feedstocks.
The switch to a society which relies on chemical production from all-renewable resources is a challenge of GRAND proportions, and a roadmap for this change must be broken down into smaller components with suitable experts addressing achievable goals. In this proposal we have assessed the strengths in catalysis across EaStCHEM and have designed projects at a variety of risk levels that will significantly impact on the overall change necessary in the challenging move "from oil to biomass". We will:
1. use CO2 as an ever abundant C1 building block in chemical processes that exploit newly developed state-of-the-art catalytic transformations for C-H activation/carboxylation, polymer formation, as well as electro- and chemical reduction processes.
2. We will develop optimal catalysts for ether cleavage in 'real life samples' of lignin for maximising the potential of lignocellulose as a source of fuels and fine chemicals. By combining our expertise in ligand design and computational methods we will develop efficient catalyst based on N-heterocyclic carbenes, wide bite angle phosphines and oxidative enzymes and chemocatalysts.
3. We will develop novel catalytic methods to convert renewable and waste feedstocks to important products such as fuels, chemicals and polymers.
As we anticipate that this combined effort will include the de-novo development of new catalyst we will also create a ligand and catalyst synthesis and discovery centre which will support the catalyst development process of all the workpackages for the full duration of the project and thereafter. By focusing our experience and skills in catalysis, we will contribute to a post-fossil fuels world.

"The UK's "upstream" chemicals industry and "downstream" chemistry-using sector contributed a combined total of £258 billion in value added in 2007 equivalent to 21% of UK GDP and supported over 6 million UK jobs" (taken from the EPSRC/RSC jointly commissioned independent report on the UK Chemical Industry in 2010).
The societal and economic impact of the UK's chemical industry is clear. However, the industryis at a turning point as environmental issues race up the World agenda. Whilst there seems likely to be numerous solutions to the low carbon energy problem, the chemicals and materials which impact on every aspect of our life will continue to be carbon based - the question therefore becomes where does the carbon come from in a post-fossil resources world? Whilst the current chemical industry is hit hard by this reality it is also uniquely placed to solve many of the challenges. However, if this solution is to come fromthe vast resources encapsulated in biomass without competing with food, a new "chemistry toolkit" must be invented. This toolkit will drive the transition from oil to biomass, make possible the production of "old molecules" from "new feedstocks"andthe generation of products that meet an already defined need but that are made from a renewable resource.
The commonly held view is that the best economic solution is to use a "biorefinery" which converts biomass into a mixture of chemicals, fuels and energy. The chemical transformations necessary can of course be achieved biochemically, chemically and thermally. We contend that chemical transformations via homogeneous catalysis offer the correct mixture of resource efficiency (low temperature, high selectivity), versatility and very importantly familiarity within the industry makingthem the technology of choice provided that sufficient investment is made to develop them. To tackle some of the many challenges inherent in this vision we have assembled a unique team of academics, industrialists and agriculture experts. This team has expertise across homogeneous catalysis, computational chemistry, high-throughput technologies, the chemistry of carbon dioxide and agriculture. The involvement of two global chemical and energy companies in this project will ensure that industrial issues are considered from this early stage. Outside of this the excellent connections of the project team with fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries will complete this pathway to exploitation. The upstream part of the value chain will be covered by representatives from the crop science and forestry sectors including representation from the Forestry Commission.
In addition to developing a toolkit for biomass use, we are also very aware that carbon dioxide can be viewed as an increasingly abundant chemical starter unit. In order to take advantage of this resource we have assembled a team of experts on the chemical functionalisation of carbon dioxide. This work will be led by researchers from EaStCHEM and the Joseph Black Laboratory for CO2 Chemistry.
In summary - to ensure a sustainable chemical industry we need to develop a new "chemistry toolkit". This is what our proposal is about and we believe the economic and societal impact it will have is huge.