HEATHER from the North Yorkshire Moors may hold some of the secrets to a greener future in a project that has brought academia and industry closer together.

Scientists from the University of York Clean Technology Centre are searching for new raw materials that will provide a greener alternative to existing chemicals and reduce dependence on petrochemicals.

They are looking for the new chemicals in such familiar natural resources as heather, wheat straw and common species of tree.

Director of the centre and the university's professor of industrial and applied chemistry James Clark said: "What we do is green chemistry. We look to reduce the environmental impact of all chemical processes and products."

This work is not just academic - the centre works with industry at all levels, from producers of raw materials to manufacturers and retailers, to increase awareness of and demand for greener processes and products. Some of the centre's work is being sponsored by Marks & Spencer.

Prof Clark said: "We are trying to introduce green chemistry throughout the supply chain."

He said that, when more environmentally friendly chemistry is used, business derives social, economic and environmental benefits, a result known as the triple bottom line.

Because investing in new processes or sourcing different raw materials can involve quite high investment, national and European legislation is often a strong driving force for change.

But Prof Clark believes the end-user could be another significant driving force if consumers were more aware of the environmental effects of products when making purchasing decisions.

He believes a reliable, well-policed and credible labelling system would help consumers make an educated choice.

Chemists in York are not only looking for greener raw materials, they are experimenting with cleaner methods of extracting them.

The second stage of the process is to find new ways of processing chemicals with new catalysts and solvents, and of scaling down the production process. The third stage of the process involved designing products with greener credentials, such as greater biodegradability or recycleability.

International contacts have proved to Prof Clark that, contrary to stereotype, the chemical industry in India and China, where production is being transferred from Europe, is keen to choose the greenest option where possible. He stressed the need to retain a UK chemical industry.

Industrial lubricants are one field where the UK lags behind other countries in switching to greener alternatives.

In Germany, about ten per cent of lubricants come from plant-based sources, whereas the UK is still almost entirely reliant on mineral oils.

Prof Clark said: "We have to find a way to convert research into working technology much more quickly. That needs the help of the wider community to pull it through.

"There has got to be investment and that, at the moment, is lacking."

Published: 08/06/2004