Sustainable Development and Chemistry

Abstract

AbstractThe review covers the new trends in the design of industrial chemical processes that can reduce the impact on environment and at the same time be sustainable from the economic point of view. Significant attention is also given to the opportunities given from new technologies, catalysts and materials, and process control to develop sustainable industrial processes.Aspects that are covered include the use of alternative or renewable raw materials (and biomasses), the reducing of the risks and number of steps in chemical processes, the reduction of energy consumption (and the use of alternative energy sources in chemical processes), the design of intrinsically safe processes, the down‐sizing of the chemical production and the opportunities offered from micro‐reactor and integrated reaction/separation technologies, the possibilities deriving from process intensification, and the reduction of waste by introducing new catalytic routes and/or solvents. Emphasis is given to the role of catalysis to develop new sustainable industrial processes, with also an overview of the new opportunities given from advanced catalytic materials and technologies.