As the demand increases for more sustainable chemical production, mechanochemical processes have been proposed as greener alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods. To support the transition to mechanochemical processes, quantitative assessment methods must be developed to measure and compare the greenness of traditional and mechanochemical processes. MilliporeSigma's DOZN 2.0 Green Chemistry Evaluator was utilized to quantify the adherence to the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry of the mechanochemical synthesis of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) nitrofurantoin in batch and continuous processes. Through this analysis, SPEX mill and twin-screw extrusion (TSE) mechanochemical methods were shown to be more sustainable compared to a commercial solutionbased process. This conclusion was a result of the DOZN 2.0 scores for the mechanochemical processes, which demonstrated SPEX mill and TSE methods as having increased energy efficiency, improved resources use, and reduced human and environmental hazards compared to other commercial processes.
To
answer questions surrounding the sustainability of silica production,
MilliporeSigma’s DOZN 2.0 Green Chemistry Evaluator was employed
as it provides quantitative values based on the 12 principles of Green
Chemistry. As a first study using DOZN 2.0 to evaluate the greenness
of nanomaterials, a range of silica types were considered and their
greenness scores compared. These included low- and high-value silicas,
both commercial and emerging, such as precipitated, gel, fumed, colloidal,
mesoporous, and bioinspired silicas. When surveying these different
types of silicas, it became clear that while low value silicas have
excellent greenness scores, high-value silicas perform poorly on this
scale. This highlighted the tension between high-value silicas that
are desired for emerging markets and the sustainability of their synthesis.
The calculations were able to quantify the issues pertaining to the
energy-intensive reactions and subsequent removal of soft templates
for the sol–gel processes. The importance of avoiding problematic
solvents during processes and particularly releasing them as waste
was identified. The calculations were also able to compare the amount
of waste generated as well as their hazardous nature. The effects
of synthesis conditions on greenness scores were also investigated
in order to better understand the relationship between the production
process and their sustainability.
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