Green Technology
Green Chemistry
Green chemistry is defined as :
“the design, manufacture, and use of environmentally benign
chemical products and processes that prevent pollution, produce less
hazardous waste and reduce environmental and human health
risks.”
Green Technology
• Green chemical technology is a route to a more
sustainable chemical industry.
• Green chemical technology avoids the use of non-renewable
resources, reduces energy and material use, reduces waste and
lowers environmental and human health impacts.
Drivers affecting the chemical
industry
The trends and drivers affecting the chemical industry have been
reviewed under five headings (the STEEP model)
• Social
• Technological
• Economic
• Environmental
• Political
12 Principles of green technology
[Link] – It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean
up waste after it has been created.
[Link] economy – Synthetic methods should be designed to
maximize the incorporation of all materials used in the process
into the final product.
[Link] hazardous chemical synthesis – Wherever practicable,
synthetic methods should be designed to use and generate
substances that possess little or no toxicity to human health and
the environment.
[Link] safer chemicals – Chemical products should be
designed to effect their desired function while minimizing their
toxicity.
12 Principles of green technology
5. Safer solvents and auxiliaries – The use of auxiliary
substances (eg solvents, separation agents) should be made
unnecessary wherever possible and innocuous when used.
6. Design for energy efficiency – Energy requirements of
chemical processes should be recognized for their environmental
and economic impacts and should be minimized. If possible,
synthetic methods should be conducted at ambient temperature
and pressure.
7. Use of renewable feedstocks – A raw material or feedstock
should be renewable rather than depleting, whenever technically
and economically practicable.
8. Reduce derivatives – Unnecessary derivatization (use of
blocking groups, protection/ deprotection, temporary modification
of physical/chemical processes) should be minimized or avoided if
12 Principles of green technology
9. Catalysis – Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior
to stoichiometric reagents.
10. Design for degradation – Chemical products should be designed
so that at the end of their function they break down into innocuous
degradationproducts and do not persist in the environment.
11. Real-time analysis for pollution prevention – Analytical
methodologies need to be further developed to allow for real-time, in-
process monitoring and control prior to the formation of hazardous
substances.
12. Inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention –
Substances and the form of a substance used in a chemical process
should be chosen to minimize the potential for chemical accidents,
including releases, explosions, and fires.
Areas to improve the sustainability
There are eight areas of green chemical technology that can improve the sustainability of
the chemical industry and address the issues raised by the STEEP analysis:
• Green product design –minimising environmental impact
• Feedstocks – substituting renewable for non-renewable
• Novel reactions
• Novel catalysis
• Solvents
• Process improvement
• Separation technology
• Enabling technologies
Green Product Design
Green Product Design
Barriers:
• Thinking about the total product life-cycle is not embedded in the industry. Too
manypeople only think about the parts of thelife-cycle they directly control;
• Green product design is seen as a defensive response to an external pressure rather
thanan opportunity for business improvement;
• A lack of standards;
• A lack of clear models and methodologies;
• Few recognised examples of commercially successful green product design;
• Consumer concern about the safety of nanotechnology (the ‘grey goo’ scenario).
Dependencies:
• Green product design is dependent on theopportunities created by all the other
technologies
Feedstock
Feedstock
Feedstock
Feedstock
Barriers:
• Entrenched, low cost technologies
• Currently insufficient pressure to change
• Large sunk investments
• Concerns about strategic availability of alternative feedstocks
• Absence of integrated supply chains
Dependencies:
• New catalytic processes will be required
• Strong link to chemical engineering andprocess design
Novel reactions
Novel reactors
Barriers
• Except for special cases there is insufficient incentive to change existing working
processes
• Interesting new reactions are reported and shelved before sufficient data for a realistic
evaluation is available
Dependencies
• Strong link to membrane separations
• Link to novel catalysis
Novel
Catalysis
Novel catalysis
Barriers
• Difficulty in transferring new catalysts from laboratory to production
• Problems in knowing how to design effective catalytic processes
• Lack of reliable supplies of development catalysts, particularly for small-scale production
Dependencies:
• Strong link to process design
• Link to modelling
Solvents
Solvents…
Solvents
Barriers:
• Current low cost of conventional organic solvents
• Capital cost of alternative systems perceived as too high for the benefits
• Lack of familiarity with alternative approaches
Dependencies:
• New reactor types for solvent-free systems
Process improvement technologies
Process improvement technologies
Process improvement technologies
Process improvement technologies
Barriers:
• Lack of familiarity amongst industrial scientists
• Difficulties in integrating chemistry and chemical engineering
• Lack of confidence in the real capabilities of these technologies
• Need for demonstrator facilities, particularly mobile units
• Need to make the financial and technical case as a complete package
Dependencies:
• Strong link to modelling in the enabling technology area
• Strong link to advanced analytical technologies
• Link between membrane-based advanced reactors and separations and novel
catalyst systems
Separation technology
Separation technology
Barriers:
• Insufficient economic evidence to drive adoption of new
techniques.
Dependencies:
• Strong link to process improvement
• Link to novel reactions and novel reactor design
Enabling technologies
Enabling technologies
