The E factor at 30: a passion for pollution prevention

Abstract

The introduction of the E Factor in 1992 focussed attention the problem of waste generation, defined as everything but the desired product, in chemicals manufacture and gave rise to a...

Realizing the Continuous Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Anilines Using an Immobilized Nitroreductase

“…The clear benefit of using this is the halving of the amount of both buffer and nicotinamide required. When calculating efficiency metrics, media make a significant contribution to the overall mass of a process . Therefore, re-using solvent will improve an overall process by significantly reducing the overall mass.…”

Facile, green, and functional group-tolerant reductions of carboxylic acids…in, or with, water

“…Often used metrics that indicate the level of “greenness” associated with an organic reaction include recyclability, in this case of the aqueous reaction mixture, as well as calculation of an E factor, as first described by Sheldon. 40 Following an initial reaction from 2a to 2 (Scheme 6), product recovery is readily accomplished by in-flask extraction using minimal amounts of recyclable EtOAc. Reuse of the water remaining in the same vessel for two additional cycles led to good results in terms of product formation, even when using a different substrate ( 5a to 5 ).…”

Hybrid synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate bioplastics from carbon dioxide

“…The classical E -factor (considering only enzymes, vapour, solvents (except water) and catalysts) is 48.11 kg kg −1 in our cycle, which is considerable among industrial processes. 63 When considering the production of enzymes and energy demands, the E -factor may increase by several hundred times. However, it should be noted that this value is only based on calculations from a laboratory-scale system.…”