CHEM 409

Ashley Causton 2015

Green Chemistry
Suggested Reading: Chapter 25 of Survey of Industrial Chemistry (3rd Edition, 2002) by Philip J.
Chenier [Kluwer Academic/Plenum] for general background on pollution
Suggested Reading: 5.4 (pp. 165-172) of "Chemical Technology: An Integral Textbook" by
Andreas Jess & Peter Wasserscheid for general background on pollution
Green Chemistry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Chemistry

Green Chemistry is the utilization of a set of principles that reduces or eliminates the
use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application
of chemical products - "prevents pollution on the molecular level"
Green chemistry considers the environmental impact of a process at the earliest stages
of innovation and invention
Environmentally benign alternative technologies can be economically superior and
function as well as, or better than more toxic traditional options
Given a choice between traditional options and green solutions, business leaders choose
responsibly

12 Principles of Green Chemistry (reproduced from the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency links found at http://www2.epa.gov/greenchemistry):
These guiding principles were developed by Paul Anastas and John C. Warner
Industrial processes are designed to:
o maximize the yield of the process
o use safe, environmentally benign chemicals
o be energy efficient processes
o not create any waste
1. Prevention
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it has been created.
2. Atom Economy
Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the incorporation of all materials
used in the process into the final product.
3. Less Hazardous Chemical Synthesis
Wherever practical, synthetic methods should be designed to use and generate
substances that possess little or no toxicity to people or the environment.
4. Designing Safer Chemicals
Chemical products should be designed to effect their desired function while minimizing
their toxicity.
5. Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
The use of auxiliary substances (e.g. solvents or separation agents) should be made
unnecessary whenever possible and innocuous when used.

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Ashley Causton 2015

6. Design for Energy Efficiency

Energy requirements of chemical processes should be recognised 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/de-protection, and
temporary modification of physical/chemical processes) should be minimized or avoided
if possible, because such steps require additional reagents and can generate waste.
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 degradation products 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 Safer Prevention
Substances and the form of the substance used in a chemical process should be chosen
to minimize the potential for chemical accidents, including releases, explosions and
fires.

The E-Factor and Atom Efficiency:

There are two generally accepted measures of the (potential) environmental
acceptability of chemical processes:
o The E-factor - defined as the mass ratio of waste to desired product
o The atom efficiency (economy) - calculated as a percentage by dividing the
molecular weight of the desired product by the sum of the molecular weights of
all starting materials in the stoichiometric equation
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_economy
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Chemistry_Metrics

CHEM 409

Ashley Causton 2015

Typical E-factors in the chemical industry:

Industry segment

Product tonnage

E-Factor (kg waste/kg product)

Oil refining
Bulk chemicals
Fine chemicals
Pharmaceuticals

106108
104106
102104
10103

<0.1
<15
550
25100

Give examples of reactions to show E-Factor and Atom Efficiency:

Waste:
Beyond the quantity of waste, it is also important to consider its environmental impact
The term environmental quotient (EQ) is obtained by multiplying the E-factor with an
arbitrarily assigned unfriendliness quotient (Q)
o For example, a Q value of 1 to NaCl, and 1001000 to a heavy metal salt such
as chromium