The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards have been presented annually since 1996 to recognize businesses and individuals who have discovered innovative ways to significantly reduce pollution at its sources. Nominations for the awards are judged by an independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, on behalf of a group of stakeholders from government, industry, academia and the non-profit sector.

This year's winners have developed innovative processes that solve problems in the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, agriculture and construction industries some with the potential to improve earnings as well as the environment.

The 2002 award recipients and their achievements follow:

Chemical Specialties, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) developed an arsenic-free preservative for wood used in outdoor playground equipment, decks, picnic tables and fences. More than 95 percent of the 7 billion board feet of pressure-treated wood used each year is preserved with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic and hexavalent chromium both known carcinogens. Chemical Specialties, Inc. (CSI), has developed a formulation, called ACQ Preserve, made from recycled copper scrap, that is as effective against fungi, termites and other pests as CCA-treated wood but without hazardous chemicals.

Cargill Dow LLC (Minnetonka, Minn.) developed a process to use renewable sources, namely corn, to manufacture an array of products traditionally made from petroleum, including clothing, food packaging and home furnishings. Cargill Dow uses carbon naturally stored in the corn which is extracted through fermentation and distillation to build its NatureWorks PLA p
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Contact: Tiffany Steele McAvoy
t_steele@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
25-Jun-2002