Green and sustainable chemistry – The case for a systems-based, interdisciplinary approach

Abstract

Summary Although the concepts underpinning green chemistry have evolved over the past 30 years, the practice of green chemistry must move beyond the environmental and human health-related roots of green chemistry towards a more systems-based, life cycle-informed, and interdisciplinary practice of chemistry. To make a transition from green to sustainable chemistry, one must learn to think at a systems level; otherwise green chemistry-inspired solutions are unlikely to be sustainable. This perspective provides a brief description of why the current situation needs to change and is followed by how life cycle thinking helps chemists avoid significant systems-level impacts. The transition from batch to continuous flow processing and novel approaches to isolation and purification provide a case for interdisciplinary collaboration. Finally, an example of end-of-useful-life considerations makes the case that systems and life cycle thinking from an interdisciplinary perspective needs to inform the design of new chemical entities and their associated processes.

Quantification of Caffeine Interactions in Choline Chloride Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents: Solubility Measurements and COSMO-RS-DARE Interpretation

“…According to the concept of green chemistry [ 43 , 44 ], in order to minimize the negative influence of the chemical industry on the environment, there is a need to reduce or even eliminate the usage of hazardous chemical substances including solvents, which should be replaced with environmentally friendly green solvents [ 45 , 46 ]. Apart from ionic liquids (IL) and supercritical fluids (SCF), the concept of green solvents also includes deep eutectic solvents (DES), which are mixtures of two or more individual components with a melting point of the mixture lower than the ones of its components [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Recent developments in one-pot stepwise synthesis (OPSS) of small molecules

“…The introduction of new software and programs for AI-assisted synthesis and computational molding is increasingly important for the designing of new OPSS. Interdisciplinary effort and systematic approach to incorporate new synthetic techniques such as flow chemistry, mechanochemistry, and photoredox and biocatalysis could sets up new platforms for the development of OPSS (Constable, 2021). Promoting the reactions in green solvents such as water, ionic liquids, and supercritical fluid (Horva ´th, 2008) and using alternative energy such as microwave, light, sonication, and electricity (Robertson et al, 2019) also provides new avenues for OPSS in the synthesis of small molecules with biological interests.…”

Databionic Swarm Intelligence to Screen Wastewater Recycling Quality with Factorial and Hyper-Parameter Non-Linear Orthogonal Mini-Datasets

“…Furthermore, green sampling is a principled innovative tactic that makes the most of the gleaned information by encouraging: (1) the minimization of the experimental trials, (2) the maximization of the investigated effects at a given research effort, (3) the minimization of chemical material usage and costs and (4) the minimization of environmental product impact [35,36]. Wastewater-recycling quality-improvement research is susceptible to the green and sustainable chemistry stipulation that establishes the necessity for green chemistry metrics to guide data-centric methods in order to reduce waste and increase yield [37][38][39][40][41].…”