Sustainability, Green Chemistry and White Biotechnology

Abstract

The historical development of the principles of green chemistry and sustainability is outlined. In order to measure the ‘greenness’ of chemical processes, it is necessary to have meaningful metrics and the most widely accepted metrics are the E factor and atom economy. These and other green metrics which address the amount of waste formed are discussed, as are metrics addressing the environmental impact of waste such as life cycle assessment. The pivotal role of catalysis in reducing waste is discussed. Solvent losses are a major source of waste in chemical processes and the use of alternative solvents and multiphase catalysis is discussed. White biotechnology constitutes the industrial application of biocatalysis, and biocatalytic processes fit very well with the principles of green chemistry. Biocatalytic processes are conducted using isolated enzymes or with whole microbial cells (fermentations), and the merits of both types of transformation are discussed. Enzymatic production of the pharmaceuticals, pregabalin, atorvastatin and sitagliptin, and the cosmetic ingredient, myristyl myristate, are presented as examples of green and sustainable processes involving white biotechnology. Finally, green chemistry and white biotechnology in the context of the utilisation of renewable biomass for sustainable production of biofuels and chemicals are discussed.