Catalysts are substances which speed up the conversion of raw materials to useful products. The action of a catalyst is termed “catalysis” and the manufacturing process that uses a catalyst is termed a “catalytic process”.  Many everyday products are manufactured using catalytic processes, including gasoline, detergents, synthetic fibers and pharmaceutical drugs.
   The vision of the CEBC is to make available to industry “sustainable” manufacturing processes--in other words, improved processes that minimize their "environmental footprint" while remaining profitable. CEBC will accomplish this, for example, by reducing or eliminating the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing (including the catalysts themselves or hazardous solvents), minimizing the formation of wasteful byproducts, and by improving energy efficiency. In pursuit of its vision and research goals, CEBC will be guided by the principles of "Green Engineering" and "Green Chemistry". Click here for more information on the Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering.