Implementation Of Green Chemistry Research Articles

Environmental sustainability of microalgae-based production systems: Roadmap and challenges towards the industrial implementation

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are a precious source for the production of biofuels/bioenergy, biomaterials and valuable biochemicals. Beyond photosynthetic CO2 conversion, microalgal systems can involve the valorisation of waste streams and the implementation of green chemistry, industrial symbiosis, and circular bioeconomy approaches. However, their sustainability is uncertain, thus their large-scale application is hindered. The numerous life cycle assessments (LCAs) performed so far are mostly based on data extrapolated from lab-scale experiments or the literature, leading to qualitative and controversial results. This paper reviews primary data-based LCA studies on microalgal pilot to industrial-scale plants. Sixteen studies satisfied the selection criteria, despite they used primary data almost exclusively for cultivation and harvesting. The outlined current status (methodology, inventory, energy performance and environmental impacts) highlighted the lack of uniformity in the applied methods and the presentation of results, as well as some lack of transparency. Nevertheless, the review concluded that electricity consumption and infrastructure are major hotspots. Therefore, the use of renewable energy for supplying the process and of sunlight for biomass photosynthesis should be preferred. The upstream processes produce large impacts. Thus, a suitable reactor, geographic location, and harvesting method should be selected. Biofuels are not competitive in most cases, but some promising multi-product biorefinery scenarios have been presented. To improve the environmental profile of microalgal high-value compounds (e.g., astaxanthin or biostimulants), co-product valorisation, waste stream utilization, renewable energy deployment, and compound productivity should be enhanced. More efforts on LCA of large-scale plants are required, especially looking at integrated biorefinery concepts, to take a crucial step towards the implementation of sustainable commercial systems.

Development of the Assessment of Student Knowledge of Green Chemistry Principles (ASK-GCP)

As implementation of green chemistry into university-level courses increases, it is vital that educators have a tool to rapidly measure student knowledge of green chemistry principles. We report the development of the Assessment of Student Knowledge of Green Chemistry Principles (ASK-GCP) and evaluation of its sensitivity and effectiveness for measuring student knowledge of green chemistry. The 24-item true–false instrument was given to a total of 448 students to gather data on the reliability, validity, and sensitivity. The instrument proved to be sensitive for distinguishing known groups with various levels of green chemistry knowledge and instructional exposure. The instrument was able to detect gains in green chemistry knowledge in pre- and post- conditions. Psychometric analysis revealed that the item difficulty range matches the sample ability range. The findings verified that the ASK-GCP is an efficient and accurate instrument to measure student knowledge of green chemistry principles.

Challenges in Implementation of Green Chemistry in Indian Pharmaceutical Sector

The alarming environmental pollution caused by pharmaceutical Industries has led to the growing importance of Green Chemistry in India. It is high time that the pharmaceutical industry that is considered as a red category by the environment ministry, adopts green chemistry & green technology to address this issue. This study aims to find out the major barriers to implementing green technology in the pharmaceutical sector. Integrated Structural Modelling method & MICMAC Analysis has been adopted to identify a structure by which the pharmaceutical industries can implement green technology. An extensive literature review & discussions with industry experts led to identifying ten major challenges to the adoption of green technology in the pharmaceuticals. Economic &financial barriers & regulatory barriers have been identified as the major barriers. This study brought out a lack of consolidation of knowledge in this field as a challenge to the implementation of green practices, which has been largely ignored in previous studies and needs to be addressed.

Depolymerization of Lignin from Extracted Solid Waste of Cupressus lusitanica Mill. Biomass Using Imidazole

Implementation of green chemistry and biorefinery concept are needed to boost production of biomass-derived fuels, chemicals, and materials with cost-effective processing of sustainable feedstock. The use of imidazole as a novel solvent for biomass pretreatment creates an approach that helps accomplish this concept. The present work is dedicated to study the pretreatment of residual lignocellulosic biomass, namely, extracted solid waste of Cupressus lusitanica, by application of the alkaline solvent—imidazole. The pretreatment allowed obtaining cellulose- and hemicellulose-rich fractions, whereas lignin was depolymerized. Both cellulose and hemicellulose recovery were highly dependent on the reaction conditions. The highest cellulose content was obtained at 160 °C for 4 h and was 40.7 ± 0.6 wt% with a delignification yield of 65.2 ± 0.4 wt%. The effect of biomass delignification on the efficiency of enzymatic digestibility was also analyzed and it was observed a good linear relationship between the delignification yield and the glucan to glucose yield. The presence of added-value phenolic compounds from depolymerized lignin in recovered imidazole was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis and determination of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity was also performed. These compounds were tentatively identified and their structures proposed on the basis of the HPLC–MS analyzes.

How Green Economy Contributes in Decreasing the Environment Pollution and Misuse of the Limited Resources?

Green economy has invested in the sustainable development of the society across the globe. Therefore, the study has focused on differential ways that green economy provided for the reduction of misusing limited resources along with the reduction of environmental pollution. Since, the study has been conducted on the global issue, the nature of the analysis would be qualitative. The data has been collected from the previous studies on green economy. The results have shown the different factors that affect the society, which included wastes, toxic gases, and the hazardous solvents ecologically as well as economically. The implementation of green chemistry was the solution provided to eliminate poverty and pollution from the society. In the years 1990 and 2010, the emissions of non-methane compounds were increased by 71% and decreased by 4%. Whereas, the emissions of nitrogen oxides were increased by 62% and decreased by 3%. Moreover, intelligent usage of limited resources have provided better ways to increase economic growth and reduce toxins from the atmosphere. Adoption of green economy in the countries can be useful on the economic and social grounds as they helped in decreasing the environment pollution and along with the misuse of limited resources.

Green chemistry and green engineering in China: drivers, policies and barriers to innovation

With the world’s largest population and consistently rapid rates of economic growth, China faces a choice of whether it will move towards a more sustainable development trajectory. This paper identifies the different factors driving innovation in the fields of green chemistry and green engineering in China, which we find to be largely driven by energy efficiency policy, increasingly strict enforcement of pollution regulations, and national attention to cleaner production concepts, such as “circular economy.” We also identify seven key barriers to the development and implementation of green chemistry and engineering in China. They are (1) competition between economic growth and environmental agendas, (2) regulatory and bureaucratic barriers, (3) availability of research funding, (4) technical barriers, (5) workforce training, (6) industrial engineering capacity, and (7) economic and financial barriers. Our analysis reveals that the most crucial barriers to green chemistry and engineering innovations in China appear to be those that arise from competing priorities of economic growth and environmental protection as well as the technical challenges that arise from possessing a smaller base of experienced human capital. We find that there is a great deal of potential for both the development of the underlying science, as well as its implementation throughout the chemical enterprise, especially if investment occurs before problems of technological lock-in and sunk costs emerge.

ChemInform Abstract: The Role of Catalysis in the Design, Development, and Implementation of Green Chemistry

Abstract Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes which reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. In the last decade, green chemistry has been recognized as a new approach to scientifically based environmental protection. Catalysis has manifested its role as a fundamental tool in pollution prevention. While catalysis has long been utilized in increasing efficiency, yield, and selectivity, it is now also recognized as accomplishing a wide range of green chemistry goals.

Promoting sustainability through green chemistry

Green chemistry is an important tool in achieving sustainability. The implementation of green chemistry, the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances, is essential if the expanding global population is to enjoy an increased standard of living without having a negative impact on the health of the planet. Cleaner technologies will allow the chemical enterprise to provide society with the goods and services on which it depends in an environmentally responsible manner. Green chemistry provides solutions to such global challenges as climate change, sustainable agriculture, energy, toxics in the environment, and the depletion of natural resources. A collaborative effort by industry, academia, and government is needed to promote the adoption of the green chemistry technologies necessary to achieve a sustainable society.

The role of catalysis in the design, development, and implementation of green chemistry

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes which reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. In the last decade, green chemistry has been recognized as a new approach to scientifically based environmental protection. Catalysis has manifested its role as a fundamental tool in pollution prevention. While catalysis has long been utilized in increasing efficiency, yield, and selectivity, it is now also recognized as accomplishing a wide range of green chemistry goals.