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| Wool inspects a shoe made from eco-leather. |
Richard Wool, a professor of chemical and bio-molecular
engineering at University of Delaware, wins the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for Academics for his extensive work in developing an array of low-toxicity
bio-based materials to support the green energy infrastructure. The
Environmental Protection Agency awards program recognizes the design of safer and
more sustainable, processes and products annually in five categories: Academic, Small Business, Greener Synthetic Pathways, Greener Reaction Conditions, and Designing Greener Chemicals. Wool created several high-performance
materials using sustainable feedstocks including vegetable oils, recycled paper,
chicken feathers, and flax fiber to make pressure-sensitive adhesives,
composite resins, foams, and synthetic leather. Wool states that finding low
toxicity replacements for commodity plastics such as polystyrene and PVC,
adhesives, foams and composite resins, in addition to leather-like materials,
must be a priority if we are to benefit the environment and human health. One
of his more recent inventions is a breathable, eco-leather made from soybean
oil and natural fiber. Wool’s start-up company, Eco-Leather Corp., avoids the
traditional chemical leather tanning process and has resulted in collaborations
with popular companies such as Nike and Puma to use the leather substitute in
their products.
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