Common Chemical Production Made Safer, More Environmentally Friendly

Karthish Manthiram The chemical industry has long been shadowed by unwelcome images of billowing smokestacks and pipes discharging toxic effluent. Modern manufacturing practices have done much to mitigate the industry's environmental impact, but there remains room for improvement. Making chemistry more environmentally friendly is a passion and major research focus for Caltech's Karthish Manthiram , professor of chemical engineering and chemistry, and a William H. Hurt Scholar. In a paper appearing in the journal Science , Manthiram's lab describes the development of a catalyst for producing a widely used chemical feedstock without the toxic and dangerous chemicals normally required for its production. That chemical feedstock, propylene oxide, is an organic compound used in a variety of applications, including manufacturing foams, plastics, and antifreeze, as well as for disinfection and sterilization. Traditionally, propylene oxide is produced by reacting propylene with either hypochlorous acid or hydrogen peroxide. Each has its own drawback.