Green Chemistry

Building awareness for a sustainable society and lifestyle

April 23, 2021

woman shopping for bulk grocery items in a store

A young woman practices sustainable living purchasing bulk items in a store. (adobestock)

At UC Berkeley, students can teach classes called Decal to spread awareness and fun about the topics they are passionate about. Kelly Chou, currently a senior studying Chemistry at UC Berkeley, and...

Public Health and Chemistry join forces to reimagine chemistry education for sustainability

October 4, 2019
A novel collaboration between the School of Public Health and the College of Chemistry through the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry (BCGC) is leading the nation in reimagining chemistry education to reduce waste, develop safer chemicals, and achieve sustainability.

Integrating green chemistry into general chemistry

February 3, 2020
An injection of cash from the Dow Chemical Company was earmarked for developing new teaching curriculum with a focus on sustainability.

An unexpected discovery at the air-water interface

December 4, 2023
Research led by Richard Saykally reveals a surprising chemical pathway for a CO2 reaction important in many geological and biological processes.

Scientists develop artificial leaf that uses sunlight to produce valuable chemicals

April 24, 2025
Decades of research leads to self-contained solar panels that convert carbon dioxide into C2 products.

Berkeley’s ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship combats climate change

May 16, 2024
UC Berkeley faculty are fast-tracking the development of new and creative climate solutions.

Capturing carbon from the air just got easier

October 23, 2024
A new type of porous material called a covalent organic framework quickly sucks up CO2 from ambient air.

A big step toward ‘green’ ammonia and a ‘greener’ fertilizer

January 17, 2023
University of California, Berkeley, chemists have taken a big step toward making ammonia production more environmentally friendly: a “greener” ammonia for “greener” fertilizer.

Can fungi turn food waste into the next culinary sensation?

September 3, 2024
UC Berkeley microbiologist makes the case for Neurospora-laced oat pulp and cheesy moldy bread.

New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases to make new, recycled plastics

August 29, 2024
The catalytic process, discovered by researchers at UC Berkeley, efficiently reduces polymers to chemical precursors, bringing a circular economy for plastics one step closer to reality.