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Review of Green Chemical Technologies for Sustainable Developments in

Chemical Process Industries

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 Accepted In Journal of Current Trends in Chemical Engineering, Issue 2, Vol.2, 2014

Review of Green Chemical Technologies for Sustainable Developments

in Chemical Process Industries
Dr. Kiran D. Patil
Department of Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering,
Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Paud Road, Kothrud, Pune-411 038, Maharashtra, India

Abstract: The environmental and climate issues facing across the globe are widely recognized as
daunting problems. Therefore, green technologies and ecological sustainable development is vital as the
quality of life is declining. We have had major progress in technology causing depletion of natural life
sustaining resources, especially clean air and water. These problems are causing substantial environmental,
economic and social impairment on a worldwide scale. Sustainable development implies that renewable
resources should be used wherever possible and that non-renewable resources should be husbanded (e.g.,
reduced and recycled) to extend their viability for generations to come.

The paper reviews the trend towards sustainability and green technologies in the chemical process industry
(CPI). A broad review of state-of-the-art green technologies in the understanding and application of
sustainability with few case studies highlighting the economic benefits of adopting green processes from a
chemical engineering viewpoint is addressed. Green technologies increasingly uses renewable resources;
reduce wastes, pollutants, emissions; recover, reuse and recycle; reduce the pressure on natural resources
and restore the balance of the eco-system and biosphere and ultimately help in providing "ecologically
sustainable development". These technologies are, therefore, feasible, cost-effective, environmentally
advanced and most appropriate to the climatic, economical, geographical, ecological and social conditions
of the country. This aim can only be achieved by developing new environmentally friendly, safe and non-
toxic materials and their based innovative technologies. Therefore CPI must encourage sustainable
development by investing in green technologies and ensure increased adherence to safety, health and
environmental standards.
Keywords: Green technologies, sustainable development, environmental, CPI, renewable resource

* Author for correspondence: kiran.patil@mitpune.edu.in, Tel: +91-20-30273512, Fax: +91-2025442770

1. Introduction: decades forced the attention of

environmentalists to remedial actions for the
Environmental problems in the past were
harmful impacts (monitoring environmental
considered as part of the economic system
pollution, reduction of pollutants, recycling,
and the rapid utilization of natural resources.
etc). However, the most efficient way to
[1] It took many years to consider the
lower the negative impacts is to design and
established ways that materials were used
innovation in the manufacturing processes,
(feedstocks), the initial design of chemical
taking into account energy, materials, atom
processes, the hazardous properties of
economy, use and generation of secondary
products, the energy consumption and other
materials which are hazardous and finally the
parameters involved in the manufacture of
life cycle of the products and their practical
products (life cycle, recycling, etc).
recycling into new materials.
The rapid development of new chemical Green Chemistry involves another more
technologies and the huge number of environmental - friendly synthetic routes, and
innovative chemical products in the last was another area for production of chemicals
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on industrial scale with the mantra – ‘Think
Green’. Traditionally chemical engineers chain management
have been more concerned about selectivity process intensification product technology
dematerialisation
than conversion. Green technologies
investigate alternate reaction conditions, chemical production product use
alternate (solvent free) media and even solar &
renewables
alternate energy sources. [2] The design of process integration / efficiency

chemical products and processes that reduce

recycling (discarding)
or eliminate the use and generation of base materials

hazardous substances is the most fundamental

reduction / optimisation cleaning and prevention
approach for pollution prevention. Green sink
es environment /was
chemistry addresses the need to produce the urc tes
reso
goods and services that society depends on in
a more environmentally benign manner. Life-
saving pharmaceuticals can be produced Figure 1: Focal areas of chemistry and
while minimizing the amount of waste Chemical engineering for
generated, plastics that biodegrade can be Sustainable development [3]
synthesized from plants, and reactions can be The escalating globalization of the chemical
run in water rather than in traditional organic process industries (CPI) is bringing an
solvents by applying green chemistry environmental awareness to various corners
principles to chemical products and processes. of the world at a pace never anticipated in the
past. Green Chemical Engineering (GCE) is
2. Role of Green Chemical Technology: much more than a method for focusing
Green chemical technologies have eliminated environmental problems.[3] It recommends a
waste, improved safety, enhanced security, framework for achieving innovation. Time
and saved industry money. This paper and again, companies looking to the future
describes the principles of green chemistry, through the lens of GCE have enjoyed
provide industrial and academic examples of tremendous environmental and economic
greener technologies, and highlight the returns. Thus GCE is ways to enhance the
economic benefits of adopting environment also have encouraging impact on
environmentally friendly processes. The the client's bottom line. Avoiding the
chemical process industry aims particularly at generation of waste (including energy) or
energy, capital expenditure and variable pollutants can often be more cost-effective
feedstock cost savings due to fierce global than controlling or disposing of pollutants
competition and requirements for sustainable once formed. Sustainable development is
development. Increasingly novel processes often used synonymously, but is more of an
are used in the industry to achieve these economic term describing how our economy
aims.[3] should develop, and implying that raise in
quantity is not necessarily the goal, but rather
They are used in: an increase in quality [4].
a) existing processes to renew parts;
b) process re-designs based on existing 3. Sustainability Concepts:
feedstock’s and catalysts; Sustainable development has become the
c) innovative processes (new feed stocks, accepted convention for global economic
new catalysts, new process routes, new development and environmental protection
multifunctional equipment). since the end of the twentieth century. The
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three major aspects of sustainable Eco-Effectiveness
development are environment, economy, and Proponents of eco-effectiveness point out
community. [4] In this context, it is necessary those natural systems are inefficient, but they
consider following steps: [4,5] certainly are effective, and signify the ideal
systems, which our systems must imitate in
a) The natural step order to achieve sustainability.
b) Pollution prevention
c) Design for environment Environmental Management,
d) Eco-efficiency Systems/Sustainable Management Systems:
e) Eco-effectiveness A typical environmental management system
f) Cradle-to-cradle design includes, establishment of an environmental
g) Industrial Ecology policy that includes commitments to continual
h) Environmental management, improvement, compliance, and pollution
Systems/sustainable management Systems prevention, environmental planning to
Pollution Prevention: identify major environmental impacts,
Pollution prevention integrates the concepts controlling these activities to minimize their
of source reduction and recycling. Source impact on the environment; and setting
reduction is nothing but those multimedia environmental performance objectives and
activities that avoid waste generation and targets and tracking progress toward meeting
contaminant discharge. Recycling, for the them. [6]
purposes of pollution prevention, is a process Sustainability management systems are
in which a waste material is reused in the similar, but go one step further in that they
original manufacturing process or another provide a sustainability-based framework on
process. which to base the targets developed by the
Design for Environment: EMS. One example is the combination of
TNS with EMS.
Design for Environment (DfE) is the logical
consideration during design of issues 4. Twelve Principles of Green Engineering:
associated with environmental safety and
health over the complete product life cycle. Green engineering principles are based on the
green chemistry principles, given by Paul
Eco-Efficiency: Anastas and Julie Zimmerman to help guide
Eco-efficiency has been portrayed as doing chemical engineers. [1,2] As for the Green
more with less. It includes reducing waste, Chemistry principles, the twelve Green
pollution and natural resource reduction (thus Engineering principles recommend a basis for
incorporating the concept of pollution chemical engineers to apply to design a new
prevention). Eco-efficiency is possibly the materials, products, processes and systems.
simplest way to go, and the logical follow-up Making products, processes and systems more
to the progress that has been made in the area intrinsically benign can be done by either
of environmental management.[5] After changing the inherent nature of the system, or
which is coming a time of “beyond changing the circumstances/conditions of the
compliance”, where businesses are finding system to lower the issue of toxins and allied
that it can be to their benefit to not just adhere exposure to damaging effects, or both. The
to the letter of the law, but to go beyond it. 12 principles are summarized as follows:[1, 2]

3
1) Inherent rather than circumstantial: 9) Minimize material diversity:
The inherent nature of the chosen material Products should be designed with less
should be taken into account to guarantee material variety to generate more
that it is as benign as possible (i.e. non- alternatives for recyclability and reuse.
toxic, and/or minimum energy and 10) Integrate local material and energy flows:
materials inputs necessary to finish the Design of products, processes, and
process). systems must comprise integration and
2) Prevention instead of treatment: interconnectivity with available energy
Materials and processes that produce and materials flows.
minimum waste should be utilized. Thus 11) Design for commercial ‘afterlife’:
we can prevent expenditure and hazard Products, processes and systems should be
linked with substances that would designed so their components can be
otherwise have to be treated and disposed reused or reconfigured to maintain their
off. price and usability for new products.
3) Design for separation: 12) Renewable rather than depleting:
Products should be intended with physical Renewable materials should be used so
and chemical properties that allow self- that the source can be reload and afford
separation processes, to decrease garbage practically unlimited service with
and conserve in separation operation time minimal, if any, waste.
and costs.
4) Maximize mass, energy, space and time Some Recent Developments and Examples of
efficiency: Green Technology:
Products, processes, and systems should Scientists from all over the world are applying
be designed to maximize mass, energy, their creative and innovative skills to develop
space, and time efficiency new processes, synthetic methods, analytical
5) Output-pulled versus input-pushed: tools, reaction conditions, catalysts, etc. under
Through the use of energy and material, the new green technology envelop. [7, 8]
one can design products, processes, and Some of these are:
systems as "output pulled" rather than
"input pushed" (a) A continuous process and apparatus
6) Conserve Complexity: converts waste biomass into industrial
Surrounded entropy and complexity must chemicals, fuels, and animal feed.
be observed as a savings when deciding Another process converts waste biomass,
design selection on recycle, reuse, or such as municipal solid waste, sewage
favorable disposition. sludge, plastic, tires, and agricultural
7) Durability rather than immortality: residues, to useful products, including
Products should be designed to have a hydrogen, ethanol, and acetic acid.
targeted lifetime, to prevent (b) A method for mass producing taxol by
environmental issues such as waste to semi continuous culture of the Taxus
landfill, persistence and bioaccumulation. genus plant.
8) Meet need, minimize excess: (c) A fermentation method for the
New tools should be discovered that focus production of carboxylic acids.
explicit requirements of the customer to (d) A method of partially oxidizing alcohol,
reduce waste and cost. Design for such as methanol to ethers, aldehydes,
excessive capacity or capability result esters or acids, by using a supercritical
should be considered a design flaw. fluid mobile.

4
(e) A process for manufacturing a new source of chemical feedstocks. Already a
fluoropolymer by using supercritical series of raw materials exist in the market
carbon dioxide. with many applications in cosmetics,
(f) An economical method of producing polymers, lubricating oils and other products.
ethyl lactate, a non-toxic solvent derived
from corn. d) Photochemistry. New Chemical
(g) A variety of ‘organic solvents’, for Processes with the Aid of Light:
example, bioethanol, that are worker Green technology puts a lot of prominence on
friendly and environmentally sound. photochemical reactions in chemical
(h) A novel environmentally friendly processes. Light (ultraviolet and visible) can
technology in mixed metals recovery become a major catalyst for many reactions,
from spent acid wastes has been used to replacing toxic metals in many reactions.
recover zinc and ferrous chloride from Scientists believe that photochemistry has
pickle liquor. immense potential and many research
(i) The demand for non-ionic surfactants is innovations and applications were introduced
increasing. An innovative example of this in the last years.
is alkyl glycoside, which is made from
d) Photocatalytic synthetic routes with
saccharide. This product can be used as a
Titanium dioxide (TiO2):
replacement for alkyl aryl sulphonate
anionic surfactants in shampoos. In the last decades various research studies
have been shown immense assurance for
5. Use of Alternative Basic Chemicals as using TiO2 dioxide for photocatalyitic
Feedstocks in Chemical Industry and industrial reactions under visible light. The
Research: energy use is minimized, waste products are
So far we know from experience of the last 50 very low and the yields are much higher than
years that the majority of raw chemicals and conventional reactions.
starting materials not only for the chemical e) Photocatalytic oxidations. Waste and toxic
industry but also for other industries were the chemicals decomposition
products of the petrochemical industry.
TiO2 and other metallic oxides (Fe2+) can be
a) Renewable feedstocks and raw materials: used in photocatalytic oxidations for the
Green chemical technology needs to change decompositions of toxic and waste chemical
into renewable feedstocks. The second most materials. These decompositions, especially
desired property of basic starting materials is used for polychlorinated compounds, phenols,
their lower toxicity and their environmental etc, can produce neutral chemicals with
impact. [8] Health and safety protection of minimum toxicity. A useful mixture is
workers and the environment is a highest Fe2+/H2O2 (Fenton reagent) with the help of
priority. Green Chemistry suggests change of light can decompose toxic industrial waste.
direction into biological raw materials (plant
and animal waste, products from fermentation f) Waste Biomass as chemical feedstock,
of plant waste, biogas, etc). biomaterials and biofuels:

b) Oleochemistry. New biological starting The progress of the last decade into the use of
materials: biomass for the production of various
materials was very remarkable. It was
Fats and oils (from plants and animals) as identified for decades that biomass from
oleochemical raw materials can become a agricultural processes was wasted. [6, 7]

5
Scientists examined many aspect of biomass “green” credentials to their use and
and it’s effective. Biomass is considered an applications. [11, 12]
extremely important problem of sustainability b) Organic synthesis in water
with increasing fossil fuel value. Water was regarded as for many decades as a
g) Biodegradation of biomass for biogas and medium that was too avoided as solvent for
biodiesel: synthetic organic chemistry. Water proved to
Biomass is well recognized for its use for be an excellent solvent for many synthetic
biofuels, especially from organic waste in methods. The most interesting example of
landfills. Biomass, through chemical and water as a solvent is the Diels-Alder organic
physical processes can be used for the synthesis. [2, 10]
production of biodiesel. c) Organic synthesis in polyfluorinated
h) Biocatalysis and biotransformations in the phases
Chemical industry: In these techniques chemists are using
Biocatalysis is considered particularly green polyfluorinated two phase systems of solvents
technology with many applications which are which dissolve catalysts with a long
considered benign for the environment and hyperfluorinated alcylo- or aliphatic chain.
energy efficient. Enzymes have been used for Reagents are dissolved in an organic solvent
many synthetic chemical routes with which is insoluble in the hyperfluorinated
enormous rewards in the food and phase. Warming up the mixture speed up the
pharmaceutical industries. reaction with excellent yield of products.
i) Capture or sequestration of carbon dioxide: d) Supercritical carbon dioxide and
Green Chemistry is implicated in carbon supercritical water:
dioxide reduction in chemical industries. [8, Supercritical fluid is called any liquid
9]Climate change and the phenomenon of substance at a temperature and pressure above
greenhouse effect due to CO2 emissions are its critical point, where distinct liquid and gas
considered by Green chemists a extremely phases do not exist. It can diffuse through
important environmental problem. solids like a gas, and dissolve materials like a
6. Applications of New Methodologies in liquid. In addition, close to the critical point,
the Synthesis of Chemical Compounds: small changes in pressure or temperature
Some of the important changes in the result in huge changes in density, allowing
synthesis of chemicals under green chemical many properties of a supercritical fluid to be
engineering principles and alternative "fine-tuned".
methods are discussed in this section. e) Use of microwave techniques for organic
a) Ionic liquids in organic synthetic routes: synthesis:
Ionic liquids are used significantly in recent Microwave furnaces are common now for
years as alternative solvents in organic food warming and cooking. Their use in
synthesis. These substances are called liquid organic synthesis implemented many years
electrolytes, ionic melts, ionic fluids, fused ago and their success in organic synthesis
salts, liquid salts, or ionic glasses. Ionic with “green’ criteria are very well recognized
liquids have many applications, as powerful Already, there are many research papers and
solvents and electrically conducting fluids applications for microwave organic synthesis
(electrolytes). They are believed as good with high yields, without solvents, low waste
candidates for future progress that can give and very low energy requirements.[12]

6
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increased adherence to safety, health and
environmental standards.
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