Systems Thinking and Sustainability

A 3-year IUPAC project Systems Thinking in Chemistry for Sustainability: Toward 2030 and Beyond (STCS 2030+, IUPAC Project #2020-014-3-050) [1] launched in late 2020 is breaking important new ground in addressing chemistry’s orientations, roles, and responsibilities in the 21st Century and helping to map out implications for chemistry education, research, and practice. In taking on this ambitious task, STCS 2030+ draws on expertise available within IUPAC’s own structures, as a project co-sponsored by three IUPAC standing committees: the Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE), the Committee on Chemistry and Industry (COCI) and the Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development (ICGCSD). The project is also working with other organizations, such as the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD), which is a co-supporter, and involves collaborators with individuals from organizations that include the Stockholm Resilience Centre [2], the American Chemical Society (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute [3], the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD 2022-23) [4], and chemistry educators and chemical industry from around the world.

Wastewater Treatment by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: A Systematic Review

Pharmaceutical wastewater contains compounds that, in low concentrations, affect ecosystems for being endocrine disruptors. Therefore, advanced oxidation processes have been proposed as an ideal treatment strategy. Within these technologies, heterogeneous photocatalysis stands out as a high-efficiency and low-cost technology. This research provides a systematic review on the degradation of wastewater from the pharmaceutical industry and the significant advances concerning its degradation by heterogeneous photocatalysis. We used Thesaurus, keywords, and Boolean search in the selected databases: Dialnet, Science Direct, Scopus, Redalyc, SciELO, ProQuest, and American Chemical Society. We also set inclusion/exclusion criteria based on the PRISMA statement, developed a bibliometric parameter, performed a statistical analysis, and established the bestoperating conditions for technology implementation. In conclusion, heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising proposal for treating the study matrix.

Leading by example

This article describes the journey of a young girl born to poor cotton farmers in the early 40s who grew up to become a chemist and then became the President of the World’s Largest Scientific Society, the American Chemical Society. It describes the obstacles she had to overcome as a woman as she earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry and the successes she celebrated along the way. It also features undergraduate research success stories and how these have contributed to her success. Hopefully it will inspire women to follow her footprints in a journey that reached many corners of the world.