Our latest blog series is designed to guide peptide chemists towards a greener, more sustainable laboratory. Each of our blog entries (or sermons, if you will) will delve into one principle. If you missed a previous one, they can be found here.
Seventh Commandment: Use of Renewable Feedstocks
The seventh principle of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute might elicit quizzical looks without the full explanation: “A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting whenever technically and economically practicable.”1 When the term “raw material” is introduced, the meaning is clear to reuse, recycle, and renew. As the author of this section, Dr. Richard Wool, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, admits: “The concept of making all our future fuels, chemicals and materials from feedstocks that never deplete is an interesting concept which at first glance seems impracticable.”1 He further clarifies some possible routes, such as biomass for fuel and other resources. Dr. Wool continues, “The carbon in the air is in the form of carbon dioxide CO2 and methane CH4 and is removed by photosynthetic processes powered by the sun to form plants, trees, crops, algae, etc., which collectively we call “biomass”.”1 Those are part of about 170 tons of biomass that is produced in nature each year. The world currently captures around four percent of our needs and Dr. Fords shares that we will need to get to about 25% to be a fully biomass-based economy. This is not an unachievable goal if the culture, economy, and initiative are there. As of 2018, “renewable energy in Costa Rica supplied about 98.53% of the energy output for the entire nation.”2 Since then, it has been reported that the trend continued for the fifth consecutive year with 98% of the country’s power generated by renewables.3,4 Germany is another success story, being the world leader by producing enough electricity to power every household in the country for a year in the first half of 2018.5,6 For a more practical example, the Argonne National Laboratories continue to advocate and convert to renewables across their numerous facilities.7,8 Even smaller labs can translate these lessons to achievable strategies.
As an example of intentional design around sustainability, Texas-based GAP Peptides, LLC utilizes the green solvent 2-MeTHF, a recognized green alternative to traditional solvents used in peptide synthesis. 2-MeTHF is derived from renewable resources (waste agricultural products), is readily biodegradable, and easily recyclable.10
While some of these initiatives are likely beyond the scope of a typical bench chemist, the leadership in biotech businesses can certainly create solutions with the big four of renewables (hydroelectricity, wind power, solar power, and biomass). Additionally, forward-thinking bench chemists can always advocate both within and outside of their companies for a renewable, green chemistry future.
References
- https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/greenchemistry/principles/12-principles-of-green-chemistry.html
- https://www.trade.gov/energy-resource-guide-renewable-energy-costa-rica
- https://ticotimes.net/2019/09/24/costa-rica-will-run-on-more-than-98-renewable-energy-for-fifth-consecutive-year-government-says
- https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-renewable-energy-in-costa-rica/
- https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/11-countries-leading-the-charge-on-renewable-energy/
- https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/renewable-energy-germany-six-months-year-solar-power-wind-farms-a8427356.html
- https://www.anl.gov/article/sustainability-at-scale-argonnes-green-commitment
- https://www.anl.gov/sustainability/clean-and-renewable-energy
- https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cssc.201100780
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201100780