Two Michigan State University professors have received national honors for their work in pollution prevention.
Chemistry professors Robert Maleczka and Milton Smith have earned the 2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The two received the Academic Award for their work that resulted in a new environmentally friendly method for making complex compounds. Their discovery streamlines the manufacturing of chemical building blocks, eliminates the need for environment-threatening starting materials and significantly reduces the amounts of hazardous waste formerly associated with this process.
Smith recently patented a method for creating boron compounds which condense drug-making processes. Building off this, Smith and Maleczka received $1.38 million through Michigan’s 21st Century Job Fund to increase production of the patented chemical compounds and advance the research to the marketplace.
The awards were presented June 24 during an awards ceremony at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C.
During the last 13 years, the winners' work has led to the elimination of more than 1.1 billion pounds of hazardous chemicals and solvents, more than 21 billion gallons of water, and nearly 400 million pounds of carbon dioxide. These benefits are in addition to significant energy and cost savings by the winners and their customers.
For additional information about the awards, click here.
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