On June 13, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2016 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (PGCCA). The PGCCA honors green chemistry technologies that solve climate and environmental problems through creating business opportunities. Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) stated, "these innovations reduce the use of energy, hazardous chemicals and water, while cutting manufacturing costs and sparking investments. They even turn pollution into useful products. Ultimately, these manufacturing processes and products are safer for people's health and the environment. We will continue to work with the 2016 winners as their technologies are adopted in the marketplace."

This year's winners and technologies are:

• Professor Paul Chirik (Princeton University): Academic Award for discovering a new class of catalysts that are used to produce silicones.
• Verdezyne (Carlsbad, California): Small Business Award for developing a yeast that produces a chemical used to make high performance nylon 6,12. The product has qualified for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Certified Biobased label.
• Newlight Technologies (Costa Mesa, California): Designing Greener Chemicals and Specific Environmental Benefit: Climate Change Award for developing a plastic made from methane-based greenhouse gas.
• CB&I (The Woodlands, Texas), and Albemarle (Washington D.C.): Greener Synthetic Pathways Award for developing and commercializing safer technology to produce alkylate.
• Dow AgroSciences, LLC (Indianapolis, Indiana): Greener Reaction Conditions Award for developing and commercializing Instinct^®, an additive that reduces fertilizer nitrate leaching ground and surface waters. It also reduces atmospheric nitrous oxide emissions.

These awards were presented during the 20th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Portland, Oregon. Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG^®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) is a proud sponsor of the conference.

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