Codexis, Elevance win Presidential Green Chemistry Awards

In Washington, the EPA announced that Codexis and Elevance Renewable Sciences were among the winners of this year’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. In the small-business category, Elevance was recognized for the production of high-performing, green specialty chemicals at advantageous costs. These green chemicals can be produced with less energy, significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to petrochemical technologies, and used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products and processes.

Codexis, Inc., Redwood City, Calif., and Yi Tang, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles won in the Greener Synthetic Pathways category for a more efficient, safer green chemistry approach to manufacturing the drug Simvastatin, a leading statin drug used to treat cardiovascular diseases.

Among other winners: Robert M. Weymouth, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., and James L. Hedrick, PhD, San Jose, Calif., for organic catalysis — an innovation that removes hazardous metals used in the production of plastics; and 
Geoffrey W. Coates, PhD, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., for synthesizing biodegradable polymers from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that can be used in a wide range of adhesives, foams, plastic and potentially lead to the development of a BPA-alternative for use in can linings.

During the 17 years of the program, EPA has received 1,492 nominations and presented awards to 88 winners. Winning technologies alone are responsible for reducing the use or generation of more than 825 million pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving 21 billion gallons of water, and eliminating 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent releases to air. These benefits are in addition to significant energy and cost savings by the winners and their customers.

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