Interview with the Director of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York

I caught up with Prof. James Clark, from the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) in York, when he was in New Delhi earlier this week (December 2-3, 2013). He was here to participate in the International Workshop on Green Initiatives in Energy, Environment and Health (IWGIEEH) jointly organised by the Green Chemistry Network Centre, Delhi University, GCCE, Gautam Buddha University, and TERI, and sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

What brings you to India?

I have come to India for the first meeting of international green chemistry centres. It’s an opportunity to get people together from places around the world; people who have common interests in trying to do something with green chemistry, which is more than just research or education; it’s trying to really coordinate some progress in green chemistry in a big way and India is a good place to come. I know for quite a few years now, India has been very keen on green chemistry; certainly academically, there’s some very good work going on and I am aware recently of some interesting work going on in the industrial community as well.

What’s the future of green chemistry?

To me, the future of green chemistry is probably chemistry itself. I think the future is very much trying to influence all of chemistry by encouraging, from the education process through research all the way into industrial practice. I think it has to be about really taking all of chemistry and rolling it towards a more sustainable agenda.

Tell us about your ongoing collaborations with research organisations in India?

I have an ongoing relationship with Prof. Rakesh K. Sharma at the University of Delhi. He coordinates the Green Chemistry Network Centre in India. We are both connected through the RSC. Prof. Sharma has just edited a book for the RSC green chemistry book series. We also have lots of interactions with regards to discussions on research. We organise events together and this is a nice example of how we worked together to make this event (IWGIEEH) happen. I have also been connected to the Industrial Green Chemistry World activity, which is running in Mumbai and I am going to that meeting later this week.  I also went to their last meeting in Mumbai two years ago, where I was very impressed with the networking; by the way they managed to bring in industry and create interactions with the academia. Through those meetings, I went to a green chemistry conference in Jaipur last year. I have also made a number of contacts in industry, who are now helping me to gather data on potential food supply chain waste, which is something I am very keen on as a future chemical resource.

Apart from York, what are the other Green Chemistry Centres of Excellence in the UK?

The major green chemistry centres in the UK are Imperial College London, Cardiff University, University of Nottingham, University of Durham, Newcastle University, University of Leicester, and Queen’s University Belfast. They have been doing green chemistry for quite a few years now. It’s more than just research, as I said; they are also looking at, in particular, educational opportunities. But there are other places as well where there is some green chemistry work going on.

What would you specifically look for in an Indian partner? How should an Indian organisation go about initiating a partnership with the GCCE at York?

For a research centre, I would say that we’re looking for centres, which have more than one lead academic i.e. more than just a research group which has interests that go beyond just research. That would typically involve education, outreach type activities either with schools or universities. Ideally, they should have some interest in working with industry because green chemistry is a very practical subject; it has to be applied and cannot be just theoretical.

In our earlier conversation today, you mentioned a dearth of Indian students at York. What would be your pitch to prospective Indian students and researchers?

York is one of the largest Green Chemistry Centres in the world, possibly the largest. We have students from over 20 different countries. I think when students come to us, they get a lot more than just research or training; they are mixing all the time with people from all over the world and all sorts of differentrenewable materials collaborating companies.  Students then understand why green chemistry is so international and how green chemistry could be so valuable to lots of different sectors in the business world and to the broader challenges of sustainability.

Background

The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) at the University of York (UK), under the leadership of Prof. James Clark, conducts a broad spectrum of research across four main technology platforms namely, renewable materials, clean synthesis and platform molecules, natural solvents, and microwave chemistry. Since 2001, the University of York has offered a Master of Science (MSc) programme in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology, which was accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in 2012. This innovative 12-month course is delivered via a combination of lectures, workshops, and seminars conducted by academic experts in the field as well as external visitors from industry. The Centre has state-of-the-art equipment and a host of instruments for advanced spectroscopic characterisation studies. A joint venture between the GCCE and Department of Biology at York has led to the creation of a new Biorefinery Development Centre (BDC). The GCCE has several international collaborations. The University of York is currently constructing a new building which will house the GCCE in the near future. Given the nature of the subject area, working with industry comes naturally to the GCCE. Founded in 2012, Starbon Technologies is GCCE’s first commercial spin-out, which converts waste polysaccharide into high value mesoporous materials.

To explore potential collaborations with the GCCE, please contact either Prof. James Clark or Dr. Avtar Matharu. For regular updates, follow the GCCE on Twitter at @GreenChemYork.