M. Sc. Chemistry with focus on Sustainable Chemistry

As part of the module, various perspectives on the topic of sustainability are examined in detail. These can include, for example

• Product formulation: sustainable production of finished chemical products such as cleaning agents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, ...
• Energetics: energetic aspects that deal with both macroscopic thermodynamics principles such as forms of sustainable energy production and molecular energetics. One focus is the avoidance/reduction of CO2 production.
• Legal and regulatory framework conditions for sustainable chemistry, such as the Green Deal or REACH.
• Sustainable process control using light or electricity as reaction mediators.
• Detection methods for analysing reaction mechanisms and processes in sustainable chemistry.
• Control of environmental influences for sustainable chemical processes, which can range from solvation effects to complex colloidal structuring.
• Life cycle assessment of chemical products.
• Resource efficiency in chemical processes, e.g. to minimise yield losses due to unwanted side reactions.
• Challenges in industrial utilisation, e.g. upscaling.

Lectures on formulation, energetics and the legal framework will initially be offered in this module to introduce the specialisation. The programme will be successively expanded.

A lecture from the subfield of Inorganic Chemistry deals with aspects of sustainability in modern inorganic chemistry. These include, for example, material cycles of various resources and materials, the substitution of rare and poorly available chemical elements, the use of light and electricity for the synthesis of inorganic compounds, sustainable catalysis methods based on main group and transition elements, energy storage processes and the activation of ubiquitous inorganic molecules (e.g. H2O and CO2) for the synthesis of energy sources (e.g. H2).

A lecture in the Organic sub-area deepens the theoretical background of an ecologically and economically topical sub-area, catalysis. The fundamentals, the state of development and current perspectives are discussed using examples from research.

A lecture on Analytical Chemistry focuses on environmentally friendly and sustainable methods of analysis, such as the use of less toxic reagents and the reduction of waste. Methods for identifying and quantifying environmental contaminants in water, soil and air are discussed in order to monitor and minimise environmental impacts. Techniques to increase resource efficiency in analytical laboratories, such as energy efficiency and solvent reduction, and the use of analytical methods for sustainability assessment, such as life cycle analysis and carbon footprinting, are also discussed. The development of biosensors for environmental analyses and the investigation of sustainable materials, as well as the role of analytical chemistry in the circular economy, will also be addressed.

In a Research Lab Course , students learn about current topics related to sustainable materials management. These can be, for example, syntheses to optimise the atom economy, or the search for suitable catalysts and analytical methods to determine residue traces or the cytotoxic influence of substances.

In a seminar, members of the teaching staff from several institutes will present various aspects of sustainable chemistry. These range from definitions, life cycle assessments and associated measurement methods to questions of sustainable energy generation and the chemical conversion of renewable raw materials into fine chemicals, the use of alternative solvents, emulsifiers and biopolymers and the associated analytical problems. The extraction and utilisation of medicinal plants will also be addressed.
Each participating student will give a short presentation of approx. 20-30 minutes on the relevant topics.
In 3-5 minute film projects, each realised by 4-5 students, individual issues of sustainable chemistry are problematised and further explored.

This module looks at environmental problems from an economics perspective. Keywords would be:

• The EU Green Deal and its consequences
• Externalities and market failures
• Regulation and pricing of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases
• Assessment of the costs of environmentally damaging behaviour
• International climate negotiations and information problems, climate clubs

In the Research Lab Course, the student is involved in a current research project of a working group, preferably in an institute outside the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Regensburg or in a company. A given topic closely related to sustainability is worked on and investigations are carried out under the guidance of the working group leader or an assistant. Students are also expected to contribute their own approaches to solving the problem.