Green chemistry life-cycle analysis

The scientific content of green chemistry can be easily taken for the aims of IGN, whose main research topics are energy, green manufacture, life-cycle analysis, pollution prevention, food security, and chemical resources management. 

This chapter outlines the principles of green chemistry, and explains the connection between catalysis and sustainable development. It covers the concepts of environmental impact, atom economy, and life-cycle analysis, with hands-on examples. Then it introduces the reader to heterogeneous catalysis, homogeneous catalysis, and biocatalysis, explaining what catalysis is and why it is important. The last two sections give an overview of the tools used in catalysis research, and a list of recommended books on specialized subjects in catalysis. 

Handbook of Green Chemistry and Technology, J. H. Clark and D. J. Macquarrie, Eds., Blackwell Publishing 2002, 540 pp., ISBN 0-632-05715-7. This collection of 22 review essays covers all the important areas of green chemistry, including environmental impact and life-cycle analysis, waste minimization, catalysts and their industrial applications, new synthesis methods, dean energy, and novel solvent systems. The chapters are well referenced and contain pertinent examples and case studies. 

Most research on green chemistry and related concepts has taken place in the past 20 years (Figure 1). A search of Chemical Abstracts for key terms related to green chemistry showed that the number of publications for each topic suddenly ramped up starting at a particular year 1980 for biomass conversion and supercritical CO2 , 1996 for life cycle analysis and green chemistry , 1999 for ionic liquids and 2001 for atom economy . 

Green chemistry has introduced several new terms and new research frontiers, including "eco-efficiency," "sustainable chemistry," "atom efficiency or economy," "process intensification and integration," "inherent safety," "product life-cycle analysis," "ionic liquids," "alternate feedstock," and "renewable energy sources."... 

One further approach to incorporating the principles of green chemistry into solvent selection with process redesign (beyond tables of which solvents are or are not acceptable) is to evaluate the chemical characteristics of the desired solvent (or the solvent it is replacing) within the life-cycle of the entire chemical process (21). In this analysis disposal economics and safety concerns become critical considerations. Once these factors are summed, including a similar evaluation of the solvent in question, the true environmental cost of the process is found. Based upon the results of the analysis, new information is gained toward selection of the appropriate solvent or chemical procress. 

Michael is currently Chief of the Systems Analysis Branch in the US Environmental Protection Agency s (US EPA s) Office of Research and Development. His branch conducts life cycle assessment, impact assessment, and sustainable chemistry research. Michael has also served as the Senior Advisor of Green Chemistry to the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and was responsible for integrating green chemistry and engineering into ORD s research portfolio. 

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