Chemical Society Seminar: Dr. Preston Chase - Development and Commercial Application of Novel Catalyst and Green Solvent Technologies

Progressing academic research from the initial invention discovery at the bench to industrial application requires significant efforts, including, for example, scaling of materials for testing, development and validation of new systems of a base technology, and optimization of processes. GreenCentre Canada is a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research in the area of Green Chemistry, providing facilities for both academic and industrial partners to evaluate, develop and ultimately find commercial application for novel Green chemical technologies.

To highlight the path towards industrial applications, three projects that have been advanced at GreenCentre will be presented: the development and scale-up of highly active ester hydrogenation catalysts, the immobilization of a number of homogeneous catalysts for application in flow reactors directed to pharmaceuticals generation, and the process optimization and use of a novel Green solvent in oil & gas and industrial cleaning sectors. Each will have the contribution of the original inventors and additional efforts of GreenCentre to directly address specific industry-based challenges highlighted. 

For additional background please see: Spasyuk, D. et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 2772.; Corkum, E.G. et al. Org Lett. 2011, 13, 3522.; Holland A. et al. Can J. Chem. 2012, 90, 805.