Soya bean glue – a new high-performance adhesive from a renewable resource The preparation of plywood involves the spraying of several sheets of wood with a glue followed by compressing the layers together to form a lamellar composite. Traditionally the glues utilised in this process have been petroleum based and thus have problems associated with control of volatile organic components as well as being derived from non-renewable resources. Glues derived from soya bean protein a cheap and renewable resource have been known for some time and can be used for a few light applications such as labelling and packaging. Unfortunately their poor performance in humid environments has precluded their use in many areas. Early attempts to rectify this problem used phenol–formaldehyde resins as modifiers to cross-link the proteins and render them more waterstable.This has not proved a viable solution since formaldehyde is slowly released leading to toxicity problems and for many years the use of soya bean protein in adhesion has not been an attractive proposition. Now this situation has changed. A research team at Kansas State University led by Xiuzhi Susan Sun has managed to dramatically improve the performance of soya bean protein as a glue without the need for treatment with cross-linkers. Their approach centres on the modification of the protein structure. Native material is globular with hydrophilic regions on the outside of the structure leading to low resistance to water and poor performance of glues in humid environments.The interior of the protein contains hydrophobic regions which should improve the water-resistance of the material. Sun's approach has been to effect structural changes to the protein converting it from a globular to a partial random coil form resulting in the exposure of the hydrophobic regions of the protein. These changes enhance the performance of the protein dramatically and make it into a very promising candidate in a variety of applications. Plywood can now be successfully fabricated from a variety of woods using the new glue. These materials can survive severe water treatment without any sign of delamination; furthermore little reduction in adhesive strength is observed.The unmodified protein by comparison shows no adhesive properties under these testing conditions. Other important benefits include the ability to spray the aqueous protein solution evenly– a consequence of good viscosity properties – allowing much better coverage and improved sticking. For further information visit http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_grsi/ faculty/sun.htm New glue for plywood Biotechnology helps UK engineers win top environment award The top UK environment award in 1998 for engineers was won for work on reducing harmful emissions. The Engineering Council’s 1998 Environment Award for Engineers was won by a team from BIP Ltd. Oldbury West Midlands UK. The award which comprised a £5000 prize and the Lloyd's Register Trophy was for developing a process that brings together biotechnology and engineering.The company has developed a roofmounted bio-reactor for installation in plastics and resins plants which emit formaldehyde and methanol. The bio-reactor contains micro-organisms which feed on these compounds and hence reduce the environmental impact of the emissions. C G N E W S US MTBE controversy The US government is fighting efforts in the Californian legislature to ban methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) the oxygenated fuel additive which has been linked to ground water contamination in various parts of the US (Chemical Market Reporter 28 November 1998). The argument used by the National Government is that the use of MTBE as an additive improves air quality.They are concerned that if California manages to halt the use of MTBE air quality throughout the country will be adversely affected. Officials in one Californian town however claim that the problem is so bad that more than one in three drinking water wells have had to be closed down due to contamination. It has also been reported that in connection with worries about MTBE US Filter and Envirogen have agreed to develop a fluidised bed biological treatment system for the compound. (The Chemical Engineer 1998 666 8). Atom efficiency in Antwerp BASF have announced that the amount of waste produced at their Antwerp site (ChemPress 1998 32(17) 5) was 9926 tonnes in 1997 the first time that the company has achieved less than 1 kg of waste per tonne of product.Emissions to the atmosphere were up by 3% and waste to water increased by 13% on top of an increase in production of 17%. Landfill waste was down by around a third and waste to incinerators reduced by about a quarter; 76% of solid waste was recycled. New investments in the Czech Republic in refinery Ceska rafinerska (CRA) of Litvinov has announced an investment programme of CEK 10bn to the year 2002. The major thrust of this initiative is the construction of deep crude oil processing facilities. These new units will allow the company to convert heavier sulfur-rich fractions of crude oil into cleaner lighter fuels and thereby reduce the amount of polluting heavier fuel oils (Hospodarske Noviny 1998 42(189) s6).Green Chemistry February 1999 G3 N E W S Steel works are seeking to reduce mercury emissions GC Mercury under pressure The Tianjin Bohai Chemical Co (China) has announced that it is building an 85,000 tonnes per annum membrane caustic soda plant. This will replace its existing 58,000 tonnes per annum mercury process caustic soda plant which has been the cause of serious pollution problems (China Chemical Reporter 1998 9(30) 13). Three US Steel works in the Great Lakes area have signed a voluntary agreement with the Lake Michigan Forum which will lead to a reduction in New products and processes Adipic acid A new process for adipic acid that eliminates the production of nitrous oxide and gives only water as a byproduct has been announced by scientists at Nagoya University in Japan (Chemistry and Industry 1998 717).The process is based on the use of hydrogen peroxide to oxidise cyclohexene and gives a yield of about 93% adipic acid. Polymers At the University of Twente in Holland polymers that degrade to carbon dioxide water and biomass are being developed. These include poly(ester)amides and poly(ester)urethanes. Several degradable polymers are also being marketed by industry. These include an aliphatic polyester from Showa High Polymer (Japan) and random aliphatic-aromatic copolymers based on terephthalic acid adipic acid and 1,4-butanediol from both BASF (Germany) and Eastman (USA) (Chemisch Weekblad 1998 94 1).Oxidation with supercritical water Nittetsu Semiconductor (Japan) have brought into operation what is claimed to be the first supercritical water-applied oxidation system for the destruction of waste including developer stripping liquid and ammonia liquid (Japan Chemical Week 1994 39 10). Concrete removes nitrous oxide Mitsubishi Materials (Japan) has developed and tested a new type of concrete paving block which purifies the air around it by removing nitrous oxide from the atmosphere. The blocks contain titanium dioxide that can act as a photocatalyst and is activated by sunlight and rain promoting the oxidation of nitrous oxide to nitric acid which is washed away or neutralised by the alkalinity of the concrete (Chemical News 1998 69 28).mercury consumption at their steel mills. This will contribute to the implementation of the Toxics Reduction Strategy with Canada an agreement that aims to achieve a 50% reduction in the use of mercury by 2006. On a similar theme the Dutch company Begemann Milieutechniek BV has taken delivery of a cryogenic waste gas purification unit from Aga Gas BV. This will be used in Begemann's processing of mercury containing wastes (Nederlandse Chemische Industrie 1998 40(16) 9). G4 Green Chemistry February 1999 Solvent replacement in metal cleaning Avon Ames part of Avon Rubber has successfully implemented an 80% reduction in solvent use in its metal cleaning operations.This has been achieved by phasing out the use of 1,1,1-trichloroethane and replacing it with the ICI system Cleanfast DLS and the solvent Triklone LE (Rubber Trends 1998 3rd quarter 104). Trouble brewing for brominated flame retardants Following publication last autumn of research showing the presence of brominated flame retardants in fish and birds in the Baltic the Swedish environment minister has contacted the US Environmental Protection agency and Japanese Environment Agency to encourage co-operation with the European Union on tackling the problems caused by these compounds (European Chemical News 1998 69(1829) 60). In response to Sweden’s criticism of the UK over slow action on the release of these substances the UK environment minister said that any action must await the outcome of a Europe-wide assessment programme the findings of which will be made public this year (The Chemical Engineer 1998 666 11).The market – legal and illegal The US market for environmental consultancy has been worth about $7bn per annum since 1993 and remains steady. The market for remediation consultancy and remediation construction was worth a total of $8bn in 1997– an increase of 3% over 1996. It is generally considered that the environmental services market is stagnant and will decrease in the future. A thriving illegal market has developed for banned chemicals with an estimated 30,000 tonnes per annum of chemicals including CFCs and carbon tetrachloride being smuggled into industrialised countries from developing countries and the former USSR.The official consumption of CFCs in industrialised countries has decreased to less than 15,000 tonnes per annum from 1 M tonnes per annum in the mid 1980s. John Emsley the 1998-1999 John Jeyes lecturer John Jeyes lectureship The 1998-99 John Jeyes lecturer is Dr John Emsley (University of Cambridge). He was given the award for his contributions to the perception of humans and their pivotal role in the environment with good sound common sense descriptions on the beneficial aspects of modern chemistry to humankind. His lecture is entitled ‘False alarms a closer look at some environmental scares’. It is based on items of the type covered during his period writing the ‘Molecule of the Month’ column for The Independent newspaper when he responded to exaggerated scares about various chemicals that were being blamed for causing environmental pollution.He showed that while many of these Methyl bromide used as a soil fumigant in the production of many crops e.g. strawberries is being replaced because of its ozone-depleting properties alarms appeared to be based on sound scientific evidence most were eventually found to be false alarms when exposed to rigorous testing. He examines why certain chemicals find themselves in the glare of the media spotlight what effect adverse publicity has how eventually the fears are shown to be groundless and why this rarely gets reported.The ‘false alarms’ that Emsley considers include those relating to PVC phthalate plasticisers and dioxins chlorination of water supplies dichloromethane as a solvent aluminium and Alzheimer’s disease nitrate fertilisers and drinking water phosphates in detergents antimony fire-retardants food additives and E-numbers. Emsley also discusses the ways that chemists and the chemical industry might work to generate a better climate of public opinion in the coming millennium which will be needed if we want young people to study chemistry. The methyl bromide saga According to the Montreal Protocol the European Union as a developed area is not due to terminate the use of methyl bromide as a soil fumigant until 2005.However the European Commission has been seriously considering a proposal banning the use and production of the chemical by 2001 bringing Europe into line with the USA Australia and Japan. The earlier ban is not popular with producers farmers and lawmakers who have been pushing for a deferral. In the US C G N E W S Environmental Protection Agency officials have expressed a willingness to defer the ban while alternatives are developed. Some of the suggested alternatives such as methyl iodide and phosphine present their own problems. Other possible replacements include carbon dioxide and heat treatment. Companies announce improved environmental performance Schering (Germany) has committed its businesses to sustainable development and within the framework of the international responsible care programme to continuous improvement in safety environmental protection and health care conditions.In 1997 Schering invested DM 28M in environmental protection facilities mainly in improving existing plants and equipping new plant. The recycling of 13 M tonnes of solvents saved the company DM 19M of the cost of the raw material. Company targets for the year 2000 include a 12% reduction in the amount of non-recoverable waste a 15% reduction in the level of waste consumption and a 5% reduction in electric energy consumption compared to 1996 figures. They are also aiming for a reduction in their carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2005. Reckitt and Colman aims to operate an environmental policy that is globally responsible and also meets or exceeds local environmental standards. Their Hull site in the UK recycled almost half of its total waste in 1997. In their Belle Mead site in New Jersey USA a thermal oxidiser is used to destroy 98% of volatile organic waste. UPM-Kymmene (Finland) has an environmental policy based on the environment management principles laid out by the International Chamber of Commerce. Capital expenditure on environmental protection was FM 66M in 1997. Total emissions of gaseous sulfur compounds were down by 22% and by over 30% when the increase in production is taken into account. Outokumpu (Finland) have announced a fall in sulfur dioxide emissions from their Harjavalta smelter to 2700 tonnes (16 kg per tonne of metal produced) in 1997. Green Chemistry February 1999 G5