Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Recipients of research grants provided by the Green Chemistry for Life programme – a joint initiative of PhosAgro, UNESCO and IUPAC – presented progress reports on the successful outcomes of their projects at the IUPAC 2025 World Chemistry Congress in Kuala Lumpur. The 50th-anniversary Congress, titled “Chemistry for a Sustainable Future”, was organized by the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry, with PhosAgro serving as the event’s general partner. More than 3,000 delegates from all over the world attended the Congress.
As part of the Congress, PhosAgro, UNESCO and IUPAC hosted an international symposium titled “Green Chemistry: Experience and Opportunities for Cooperation for a Sustainable Future”. The event brought together leading scientists along with representatives of industry, government agencies and international organizations. The results of the Green Chemistry for Life grant programme were presented during the symposium. Over eight rounds, the jury has reviewed more than 1,000 scientific works, and grants have been awarded to 55 young scientists from 33 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America and Latin America.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, Lidia Brito, said: “Our PhosAgro–UNESCO–IUPAC partnership, through the Green Chemistry for Life programme, supports young scientists from all around the world by awarding grants of up to USD 30,000 to researchers working in the field of green chemistry.”
Professor Paul Anastas, the founder of the green chemistry concept, said: “There’s great collaboration that has taken place [thanks to the Green Chemistry for Life programme]. It has just energized and accelerated that goal of how we use the best science, including the best science from the youngest and most creative minds, to turn it from concept into reality, from invention into impact.” Professor Anastas added that the partnership between PhosAgro, UNESCO and IUPAC is an outstanding example of collaboration between the private sector and international institutions.
Siroj Loikov, PhosAgro’s First Deputy CEO, said: “As one of the world’s leading fertilizer producers, we recognize our responsibility to future generations. Business has a key role to play in ensuring sustainable development on our planet. That’s why we are grateful to our long-standing partners, UNESCO and IUPAC, for supporting the idea to launch a grant programme in green chemistry. Today, it has become a symbol of progress and of our shared success.”
A meeting for grant recipients was held during the symposium, giving them an opportunity to share how the programme had changed their lives and enabled them to carry out their research projects.
Dr Hamdy Hefny, a 2019 grant recipient from Egypt’s Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, presented preliminary findings from his project, which explores the use of phosphogypsum as a tool for recovering critical and rare earth elements. “Today, we have achieved promising results, particularly in recovering rare earth elements using ion exchange resins derived from phosphogypsum, a by-product of phosphoric acid production,” Dr Hefny explained. “We have completed our laboratory research, and the Egyptian company Phosphate Misr has shown a particular interest in our work. The company is currently building a phosphoric acid plant with an annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes. As soon as production begins, we will be able to move to the next stage – industrial implementation. The PhosAgro–UNESCO–IUPAC grant enabled me to move beyond theoretical research and to apply my findings in practice, implementing my developments in real-world conditions and helping improve the world. [This] grant is very important for the younger generation because ... young researchers in their early career [need funding].”
A grant was also awarded in 2021 for another project focused on the beneficial use of phosphogypsum. The project’s creator, Dr Mohamad Azuwa Mohamed, from the National University of Malaysia, said that the grant opened up new opportunities for him: “My research project [focuses on] converting phosphogypsum waste into functional photocatalysts. We have already successfully demonstrated the concept at laboratory scale and are now working on scaling it up. We have been holding meetings with industrial partners and presenting our work. In the near future, we plan to introduce our invention to industry. It is important to note that our approach is not limited to photocatalysis. We are also exploring the possibility of using phosphogypsum-based materials as adsorbents for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, broadening their potential uses considerably. In addition, we are currently focusing on the extraction of non-radioactive rare earth elements from phosphogypsum. This area holds strong promise for addressing the problems of resource recovery and creating a circular economy in the processing of industrial waste. I believe that green chemistry is a very versatile field that [can help make life better] for our nation, for our country and also for the worldwide scientific community.”
Bogdan Karlinsky from Tula State University, a 2024 grant recipient, noted that the grant had enabled him to broaden his research focus and shift towards more applied biotechnological research: “My project focuses on the efficient biotechnological processing of toxic substances that may form during the pretreatment of plant biomass and negatively impact the metabolic processes of the microorganisms that use that feedstock for biofuel production. The addition of the microorganisms proposed by us to known bacteria used for the production of bioethanol or biohydrogen can greatly reduce the concentration of toxicants in the feedstock, thereby improving the efficiency of biofuel production. As soon as the work is completed, it will represent a unique value proposition for industrial partners in the clean-fuel sector. I am grateful to PhosAgro for funding such international programmes, for giving me an opportunity to work at the forefront of global science, collaborate with international scientific organizations and expand my scientific interests.”
Another 2024 winner, Hassan Anwar, a scientist from Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology, spoke about the progress he has made on his project to develop slow-release fertilizers: “These fertilizers help conserve water by optimizing nutrient delivery and uptake by plants, which is beneficial for regions facing water scarcity or drought. In addition, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of slow-release fertilizers helps mitigate the effects of climate change and lower the carbon footprint of agriculture. Thus, the development and adoption of slow-release fertilizers offers considerable potential for improving agricultural productivity, environmental quality and food security in the future. Our team of scientists recognizes and appreciates the initiative by PhosAgro, UNESCO and IUPAC to support scientific research.”
Professor Natalia Tarasova, a member of the Green Chemistry for Life international scientific jury, Director of the Institute of Chemistry and Problems of Sustainable Development at the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia and past President of IUPAC, said: “Today’s session showed that the launch of the Green Chemistry for Life programme was the right decision. The presentations by grant recipients addressed a wide range of issues related to human interaction with the environment and various fields of science and industry. All of these issues urgently need the expertise of chemists. And it is precisely green chemistry that has shown that countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe alike can use its approaches to develop solutions that can address challenges related to waste, clean water, public health and food production. As a member of the jury, I am completely satisfied with the work of our grant recipients. I believe that this programme has a bright future because it can evolve both through educational initiatives and through technological projects. I wish all our grant recipients continued scientific success and progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”