Prof. Carol Lin recently awarded the MilliporeSigma Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards (US$5,000) by Beyond Benign, Inc.  This is a non-profit organization co-founded in 2007 by Dr. John Warner and Dr. Amy Cannon, co-located with the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry in Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA. The awarded project addresses the green chemistry education challenges of limited knowledge and understanding in Hong Kong, because it is difficult for students to understand the environmental impact of chemical production through the theoretical knowledge in the classroom. The awarded project can give SEE students a deeper understanding of the environmental implications of chemical processes and products by incorporating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into green chemistry education, and serve as a motivation for exploring greener alternatives and embracing the principles of green chemistry.

About the Awarded Project:
Project Title: Life Cycle Assessment of Crude Sophorolipids Production

In this project, an assignment in SEE4203 has been implemented for SEE undergraduates to fully understand the concept of Life Cycle Assessment and Green Chemistry in Semester B2023/2024. The product system studied is the production of crude sophorolipids (i.e. biosurfactant, commonly used as an ingredient of cleaning agent) using food waste and soybean oil as substrate. The environmental impacts/burdens associated with the production of sophorolipids using waste stream substrate food waste instead of first-generation substrate glucose are analyzed based on Life Cycle Assessment approach using the SIMAPRO software. The environmental analysis includes all the processes related to the collection and treatment of food waste till the fermentation of crude sophorolipids.  Through this assignment, students will develop a deeper understanding of the environmental implications of chemical processes and products and will additionally serve as motivation for exploring the principles of green chemistry.

For more details, please visit the following website:
Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards: Announcing the 2023-24 Grant Winners! | Beyond Benign
https://www.beyondbenign.org/news/green-chemistry-education-challenge-awards-announcing-the-2022-24-grant-winners/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=story&utm_content=professor%20&mc_cid=aee3b60ab2&mc_eid=0a56869386

Figure 1. Grant Winner Badge for Beyond Benign's Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards
 

Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the proposed project.