Themed collection 2025 Green Chemistry Hot Articles

This perspective proposes 12 principles for the LCA of chemicals, a list of issues that should be addressed by LCA practitioners, in a procedural way, in order to apply correctly the life cycle perspective within the green chemistry discipline.

Chlorine is an essential feedstock for polymers and pharmaceuticals, with annual production exceeding 100 Mt.

An indirect hotspot is a process step that may cause little harm on its own but has a strong influence on a very harmful tstep (the direct hotspot) and thereby the total harm of the process.

This review describes degradable, silicon-based polymers, emphasizing their synthesis, degradation, recyclability, and green chemistry strategies for sustainable material innovation.

The research about photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and thermocatalytic CO₂ reduction, with single-atom catalysts (SACs).

Low temperatures limit the application of aqueous batteries. This review analyzes electrolyte modifications: concentration engineering, inorganic/organic additives, and gel electrolytes, integrating molecular mechanisms with macroscopic outcomes.

This review analyzes recent advances and limitations in low-temperature plasma-enabled CO₂ dissociation setups and mechanisms, proposing a strategic outlook for the techno-economic feasibility toward scale-up valorization.

CO₂-responsive membrane separation systems represent an exciting separation technology owing to their ability to achieve controlled and efficient separation processes.

We have successfully established an efficient copper-catalyzed C–C bond cleavage of cyclic oxaziridines and the C(sp³)-N coupling reaction with amines under mild and redox neutral conditions with 100% atom-economy.

A novel and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of tert-butyl esters using (Boc)₂O as the tert-butyl source, facilitated by electromagnetic milling.

Pseudoionone, obtained from citral, is transformed into 1-methyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene in 31% yield by ring closing metathesis, while 63% yield is achieved using a stereoisomer prepared from neral.

Harmless chemical recycling of polyurethane foams: depolymerization with diethyl carbonate allows deep recovery of both constituting monomers, i.e. polyols and diisocyanates, without requiring phosgene as toxic and wasteful reagent.

The Mukaiyama-carbonic acid (MCA) adduct enables CO₂ transfer to sodium pyruvate under mild conditions, offering a promising in vitro route for biotin carboxylation.

A novel kinetics-oriented grouped immobilization on low-cost resin enables efficient five-enzyme cascade catalysis for bottom-up glucose biosynthesis.

This study presents a pressurized liquid-phase electrolyzer and electrolyte engineering strategy to enable high-rate conversion of CO₂ to value-added C₂ chemicals under industrial conditions.

The CoOx/CoP-L nanosheets with 2.65% tensile strain were constructed by the 'phosphorization-quenching' treatment. In situ Raman combined with DFT reveal that heterostructure creates the unique Co₁–P–Co₂ electrocatalytic pathway for alkaline HER.

Tunable depolymerization–repolymerization during polystyrene pyrolysis enables selective production of mono-aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs), achieving >90% liquid yield with ~95% MAHs. The strategy applies to various polystyrene feedstocks.

A high-performance OER catalyst of MnP–Co₃(PO₄)₂/NF was designed via controlled annealing/phosphating, achieving low-to-high crystalline phase transformation. The optimized catalyst shows 306 mV overpotential at 100 mA cm⁻² and 230 h stability.

The functional artificial SEI layer (CPAN@ZnO), featuring high ionic conductivity, effectively enhances interface stability of Li metal and improves cycling performance of Li-limited cells.

Microgels, with their adjustable deformability and responsiveness, offer a promising alternative to prepare microcompartments via template-directed assembly onto emulsion droplets.

Electrochemical hydrogen looping is a recently developed, sustainable technology to address decentralized anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions by indirectly retrieving CO₂ from oceans.

A synergistic strategy combining nanoconfinement with defect engineering is proposed to boost nitrate electroreduction via concentrating nitrate, enhancing nitrate adsorption, accelerating water dissociation, and suppressing hydrogen evolution.

A two-step continuous flow synthesis using molecular oxygen to prepare cannabidiol quinone derivative, Etrinabdione, under sustainable conditions is reported.

A engineered microbial factory that converts renewable carbon into indigo, eliminating hazardous synthesis, lowering energy use, and avoiding toxic byproducts.

This study presents a one-step electrosynthesis method for α,β-unsaturated ketones using an Au/CuO cooperative catalyst for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols followed by aldol condensation, achieving green and efficient production.

An integrated technoeconomic and life-cycle assessment revealed that maximising the biogenic carbon content in polyurethane synthesis based on the isocyanate intermediate route enhances economic performance without reducing the global warming impact.

Continuous flow operation greatly improved the oxidation of biorenewable furfural to maleic anhydride, achieving improved productivity while adhering to green chemistry principles.

The bifunctional phosphonic acid-based (PDES) ZnCl₂/2PIA, synthesized via coordination and hydrogen bonding, exhibited efficient oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel and high cycle-regeneration stability.

Polyesteramides derived from Ethiopian mustard seed bio-oil possess commercially relevant thermomechanical properties and are chemically recyclable and water-degradable.

Using OSN, a homogeneous Pd catalyst in AZD4625 synthesis is separated and reused for five cycles, maintaining over 90% conversion.

A simplified open culture chain elongation process with ethanol and acetate to produce renewable n-caprylate without adding yeast extract showed a trophic hierarchy between aerobic, facultative anaerobic, and fully anaerobic microbial species.

This work creatively developed a strain-driven interstitial Ru doping strategy to synthesize an interstitially Ru doped-FeCoP/FF electrode with 2.32% tensile strain.

This study reports the ambient catalytic depolymerization of PET under solvent-free conditions, using a carbon-supported single-site molybdenum-dioxo catalyst.

Carboxylating lignin and lignite fillers to sequester CO₂ in composite materials.

P doping promotes structural reconfiguration in nickel-based catalysts, forming an NiOOH/Ni₂P interface that facilitates electrooxidation of 4-methylcyclohexanol.

Natural wood with an exquisite 3D interconnected hierarchical porous structure is employed as a Li host. The wood host is conducive to regulating Li plating/stripping behavior, leading to reduced polarization and prolonged lifespan.

The reductive amination of fatty acids (FAs) and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) has been identified as a green and effective method to produce N,N-dimethylalkylamines (ADMAs).

We report an efficient protocol for electrochemical reductive amination. A careful combination of reaction medium and electrolyte has allowed waste minimization and improved sustainability, as detailed by the environmental assessment of the process.

The proposed “all-in-one” strategy enables the creation of multifunctional materials for tanning, retanning, fatliquoring, and dyeing, simplifying leather manufacturing to meet market demands while delivering significant environmental benefits.