Building a better compostable coffee pod

CHEMISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

A new compostable bioplastic for use in coffee pods represents another step forward in the production of truly green pods. The material for the new biodegradable pods was developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia. According to the researchers, pods made of the material also keep the coffee inside fresher than other compostable pods.

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CWIC celebrated the IUPAC global women’s breakfast

CHEMISTRY FOR SOCIETY

On 9 February 2021, diverse people from around the world came together to celebrate the third International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB). The purpose of these GWB events is to promote diversity in science by bringing people from various organizations together. As mentioned by IUPAC, the last two GWB have established that there is a need to build a network of both women and men who can work together to address the barriers and inequalities faced by women in science. Keeping this in mind, the theme of GWB 2021 was kept as “Empowering Diversity in Science”.

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The push to disinfect and reuse disposable PPE

CHEMISTRY FOR HEALTH

The toll of pandemic-related plastic waste from discarded PPE is mounting at an alarming rate. Health Canada estimates that between June 2020 and June 2021, 63,000 tons of COVID-19 related PPE will end up as landfill waste. Researchers are investigating possibilities for disinfecting and reusing single-use PPE, including medical gloves and hospital gowns.

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ChemiSTEAM 2020: Sublimation of VO(acac)2

CELEBRATE

In this synthesis, we attempted a sublimation of our crude product as an alternative to the usual purification of vanadyl acetylacetonate that involves the recrystallization from dichloromethane and ether. This was a conscious effort to change the synthesis towards methodology that incorporated principles of green chemistry. By making this switch, we tried to make a safer and more efficient synthesis that avoided using dangerous solvents and reduced the waste. I captured this close-up of the sublimed crystals in their vibrant blue and chaotic crystalline texture that showcases this attempt.

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