Welcome to our sustainability special
Green and sustainable chemistry represents the collective desire of industries and society at large to solve the world’s most challenging problems
In case you missed them, check out our collections on voices in chemistry, chemistry detectives, innovators and health technology
Sustaining the supply of trustworthy food
The world’s population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. This will have a significant impact on the sustainable access of the Earth’s resources, including the availability of food
From lethal smog to clean air
There has been over 60 years of changing government regulation and innovative industrial R&D in the pursuit of cleaner air: from reducing NOx and carbon dioxide emissions to developing materials for electric cars
In case you missed them, check out our collections on voices in chemistry, chemistry detectives, innovators and health technology
Biocatalysis gets the green light
How enzymes can help create a sustainable future, faster
Carbon dioxide: greenhouse gas or useful chemical feedstock?
For carbon dioxide to be stored or used, there are many chemical challenges to be overcome
Metathesis: the green method of chemical synthesis
Getting the most out of your reactions is a crucial part of green chemistry. The bond-forming prowess of metathesis catalysts can help
Lignin
Wood has been vital in the development of human civilisation. Brian Clegg looks at the compound at its heart
Recycling is taking back plastic
Angeli Mehta explores the evolution of plastic recycling technology and looks to a rubbish-free future
Battery builders get the cobalt blues
Demand for battery metals surges on the back of a global appetite for electric vehicles
Renewable energy in China
Huge investments and cutting-edge research are helping China to pioneer innovations in clean energy technologies, reports Mark Peplow
CO2 recycling – an uphill struggle
James Mitchell Crow explains how chemists are turning a problematic greenhouse gas into commercially useful molecules, at industrial scale
Extinguishing the burn
Trump’s plans put efforts to end damaging gas flaring under threat
Should individual companies be blamed for climate change?
Argument ignores consumers’ responsibility driven by our energy demands
Environmentally benign by design
The challenge of designing drugs with biodegradability in mind
Electric avenue
Western carmakers need to seize the initiative on cleaner vehicles or risk being left behind
Ionic liquids revisted
Ionic liquids have flowed far and wide since they first bubbled to the surface in the late 1990s. Michael Freemantle reports