Pure and Applied Chemistry
The Pure and Applied Chemistry Area focuses on two major progammes:
In the recent past these programmes have been increasingly elaborated and defined according to the indications of the ICS International Scientific Committee.
Whereas first generation biofuels derive from edible oil and sugar crops, the ICS programme on Next Generation Biofuels and Biobased Chemicals focuses on second and third generation biofuels from ligno-cellulosic bio-mass and bio-waste. Apart from fuels, these emerging approaches allow converting bio-waste (agro-, food-, and forestry waste bio-mass) into valuable products, for example, environmentally degradable plastics from agro-waste.
In addition to capacity building, the programme focuses on the research of new catalytic processes applied in emerging biofuels and biobased chemicals produced from agro-waste and is strengthening research activities in collaboration with centres of excellence both in developing and industrialized countries. It also performs surveys of important biomass feedstocks (including agro-food and waste) and relevant processing/conversion technologies for production of biofuels and bio-based chemicals.
The programme on Rational Drug Design and Development, has been applied in two fields of computer design, namely:
- Computer design and discovery of potential drugs, complemented by synthesis and testing of designed compounds in collaboration with centres of excellence
- Computer modelling of molecular processes (e.g. in biofuel production) and products (e.g. polymers).
The ICS in-house expertise in Combinatorial Chemistry and Molecular Design has developed and resulted in a series of top level scientific publications and capacity building activities. It is widely accepted that the development and use of combinatorial chemistry together with molecular modelling is a modern and inexpensive tool to speed-up the search and development of new molecules of industrial interest (pharmaceuticals, agro-chemicals, new speciality chemicals, new plastic materials and catalysts). Another important application of these technologies for developing countries is in the field of exploitation of naturally occurring compounds in which the structural modifications are designed to improve the properties of these compounds.
In the past...
In the past, the Pure and Applied Chemistry Area implemented other programmes (such as Water and Soil Remediation Technologies, etc.), which have now been discontinued.
Go to ICS past programmes...
Contacts:
Stanislav Miertus, Area Chief
Sergey Zinoviev, Associate Scientific Officer
Susanna Prata, Secretary