06/15/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/15/2021 11:29
06/15/2021
Chattanooga, Tenn. (June 15, 2021) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Colonia Chemical in South Pittsburg, Tennessee as one of five winners of the 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation and use of hazardous substances. This year's winners have developed new and innovative green chemistry technologies that provide solutions to significant environmental challenges, and spur innovation and economic development.
'Green chemistry is one way to provide solutions to some of the significant environmental challenges we're facing today, like exposure to toxic chemicals, dependence on non-renewable sources, and climate change,' said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Michal Freedhoff. 'The innovative technologies we celebrate today are great examples of how green chemistry is protecting our environment, preventing pollution at its source, and keeping U.S. business globally competitive by creating more sustainable products.'
'Suga®Boost surfactants are made from functionalized Alkyl Polyglycosides and are designed to be greener chemicals,' notes David Anderson, Jr., President, Colonial Chemical. 'Along with better environmental and regulatory profiles, we discovered during development that Suga®Boost products offer superior performance over many traditional surfactants. Our hope is that Suga®Boost surfactants will become widely used in common household cleaners to replace traditional ethylene oxide-based surfactants and also minimize toxic waste streams into the environment.'
Colonial Chemical developed an environmentally friendly, high performing Suga®Boost surfactants. Many surfactants used in traditional cleaners are made from petroleum-based materials and can be highly toxic. Suga®Boost surfactants are plant-based, biodegradable, generate no air emissions or wastewater discharges, and don't contain known carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. They perform as well or better than toxic, energy-intensive petroleum-based surfactants, creating the potential to yield huge environmental improvements in the cleaning industry.
The other 2021 winners are:
EPA recognized the winners today during the virtual American Chemical Society Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. This year's awards have special meaning because it's also the 25th anniversary of the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. During the quarter century of the Green Chemistry program, EPA and the American Chemical Society, which co-sponsor the awards, have received more than 1,800 nominations and presented awards to 128 technologies that decrease hazardous chemicals and resources, reduce costs, protect public health and spur economic growth. Winning technologies are responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of hundreds of millions of pounds of hazardous chemicals and saving billions of gallons of water and trillions of BTUs in energy.
An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute formally judged the 2021 submissions and made recommendations to EPA for the 2021 winners.
More information: https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry