Issue 18, 2023

From green to circular chemistry paved by biocatalysis

Abstract

Since its origin, green chemistry has headed the best-guiding philosophy for reducing pollution and safeguarding the environment. The twelve Principles of Green Chemistry provide us with enough tools to design sustainable transformations and implement industrial processes by means of renewable feedstocks. All these processes, to avoid or minimise waste production, require not only selective and efficient catalytic transformations with high atom and energy efficiency but also clean separation processes, and the use of non-toxic and safe products. Biocatalysts synthesized by the green chemistry and circular economy principles can constitute the most important and efficient strategy for achieving many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. This will drive our society to a sustainable future by reducing the consumption of resources and drastically minimising the environmental impact of our recalcitrant wastes. This perspective illustrates by a series of selected examples how green and circular chemistry based on biocatalytic processes can pave synergies for sustainable development.

Graphical abstract: From green to circular chemistry paved by biocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
31 may 2023
Accepted
03 avq 2023
First published
04 avq 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2023,25, 7041-7057

From green to circular chemistry paved by biocatalysis

P. Lozano and E. García-Verdugo, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 7041 DOI: 10.1039/D3GC01878D

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