Talking about green chemistry

1. IL FUTURO DELLA CHIMICA E’ VERDE

2. EUROPEAN BIOTECH WEEK 30*09_06*10*2013

3. Antibiotics and other medicines
Fertilizers, pesticides
Plastics
Nylon, rayon, polyester, and other
synthetic materials
Gasoline and other fuels
Water purification
Organic Semiconductors
Benefits of chemical industry in everyday life

4. Chemistry is undeniably a very prominent part of our daily lives.
Source: European Commission
Benefits of chemical industry in everyday life

5. Chemical developments also bring new environmental problems and
harmful unexpected side effects, which result in the need for ‘greener’
chemical products. A famous example is the pesticide DDT.
By 2050, estimated world population will be 10 bilion
Dependance of the present world economy on a dwindling stream of
nonrenewable natural resource
Persistent bioaccumulative polluttants
Health and safety of chemists and public
Ozone depletion
Loss of biological species in forests and in water
Changing climate, responsible for the as yet unpredictable changes in
the hydrologic cycle
“Chemistry has an important role to play in
achieving a sustainable civilization on earth.”
— Dr. Terry Collins, Professor of Chemistry Carnegie Mellon University

6. Green chemistry is the design of
chemical products and
processes that reduce or
eliminate the use and generation
of hazardous substances.
Green Chemistry

7. Green chemistry looks at pollution prevention on the molecular scale
and is an extremely important area of Chemistry due to the importance of
Chemistry in our world today and the implications it can show on our
environment.
The Green Chemistry program supports the invention of more
environmentally friendly chemical processes which reduce or even
eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.
This program works very closely with the twelve principles of Green
Chemistry.
„Novel green innovation alliances and industrial symbiosis shall be
fostered allowing industries to diversify, expand their business models, re-
using their waste as a basis for new productions, e.g. CO2 as carbon base
for fine chemicals and alternative fuels.“
„Enabling the transition towards a green economy through eco-innovation“
Source: Euchems
Green Chemistry

8. 1. Prevention. It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
2. Atom Economy. Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the incorporation of all materials used
in the process into the final product.
3. Less Hazardous Chemical Synthesis. Whenever practicable, synthetic methodologies should be designed
to use and generate substances that possess little or no toxicity to human health and the environment.
4. Designing Safer Chemicals. Chemical products should be designed to preserve efficacy of the function
while reducing toxicity.
5. Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries. The use of auxiliary substances (solvents, separation agents, etc.) should
be made unnecessary whenever possible and, when used, innocuous.
6. Design for Energy Efficiency. Energy requirements should be recognized for their environmental and
economic impacts and should be minimized. Synthetic methods should be conducted at ambient
temperature and pressure.
7. Use of Renewable Feedstocks. A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting
whenever technically and economically practical.
8. Reduce Derivatives. Unnecessary derivatization (blocking group, protection/deprotection, temporary
modification of physical/chemical processes) should be avoided whenever possible.
9. Catalysis. Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to stoichiometric reagents.
10. Design for Degradation. Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they
do not persist in the environment and instead break down into innocuous degradation products.
11. Real-time Analysis for Pollution Prevention. Analytical methodologies need to be further developed to
allow for real-time in-process monitoring and control prior to the formation of hazardous substances.
12. Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention. Substance and the form of a substance used in a
chemical process should be chosen so as to minimize the potential for chemical accidents, including
releases, explosions, and fires.
12 Principles of Green Chemistry
Anastas, P. T.; Warner, J.C. Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press,1998.

9. Waste
Risk &
Hazard
Cost Materials
Energy
Non-
renewables
“Reducing”: the heart of Green Chemistry

10. “The application of science & technology to living organisms as
well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or
non-living materials for the production of knowledge, goods and
services".
definition used by the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD)
Biotechnology

11. EUROPEAN BIOTECH WEEK 30*09_06*10*2013
7. Use of Renewable Feedstocks
A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than
depleting whenever technically and economically practical.

12. Cons
Pro
 Current economic circumstances
(comparison with petrochemicals
industry)
 “Seasonal” supply
 Feedstock used as source of food:
questioned
 Require space to grow
 Wide range of materials:
detrimental if new processes are
needed for each feedstock
 New structural characteristics
(stereochemical and enantiomerical)
to be exploited in synthesis
 Structural complexity of building
block: reduction of reaction side
products, reduction of waste material
 Oxygenated building blocks: avoid the
oxygenation process, which usually
involve stoichiometric toxic reagents
 Extend the lifetime of available crude
oil supplies
 Mitigate the build up of greenhouse
CO2 in the atmosphere
 Feedstock supplies are domestic
 Feedstock is flexible, non-toxic,
sustainable
 Products usually biodegradable

13. Petroleum Based Industry
vs.
Biomass Based Industry

15. Ethanol (transportation fuel)
Polymers and monomers – PLA, PHA, PDO
Fine Chemicals
Bulk Chemicals
Commodity Chemicals
Products That Can Be Made from renewable feedstock

16. An integrated cluster of bio-
industries, using a variety of
different technologies to
produce chemicals, biofuels,
food ingredients and power from
biomass raw materials
The Biorefinery Concept

17. Sales of biotech products
2007: €48b (3.5% of total chemical sales)
2012: €135b (7.7% of total chemical sales)
2017: €340b (15.4% of total chemical sales)

18. Biocatalysis
Enzymes or whole-cell microorganisms
Enzymes, produced by living systems, are proteins with
catalytic properties. As catalysts, enzymes are both
efficient and highly specific for a particular chemical
reaction involving the synthesis, degradation or
alteration of a compound.
Benefits
• Fast reactions due to correct orientations
• Orientation of site gives high stereospecificity
• Substrate specificity
• Water soluble
• Naturally occurring
• Moderate conditions
• Possibility for tandem reactions (one-pot)

19. Global enzyme market
** Faber K. (2004) Biotransformations in organic chemistry, 5th edition. Springer 22
The global market for industrial enzymes was estimated $3.9 billion in 2011 and
it should reach $6 billion by 2016*
Enzymes more involved in industrial applications are hydrolases,
and oxidoreductases**
GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES MARKET*
*Source: BCC Research

20. Source: Bio4EU Draft Final Analysis report
EU
Global and EU distribution of enzyme
producing companies

21. ‘There is an enzyme for any need’
 The huge biodiversity of microorganisms represents a tremendous pool
of enzyme diversity
 Recombinant technologies provide additional opportunities for tailor-
made products
 New enzymes can be developed quickly and in high yield

22. Enzymes in Green Chemistry
Enzymes in food and beverage
production
Dairy industry
Beer industry
Wine and juice industry
Alcohol industry
Protein industry
Meat industry
Baking industry
Fat and Oil industry
Enzymes as industrial
catalysts
Starch processing industry
Antibiotic industry
Fine Chemicals industry
Enzymes as final products
Detergent industry
Cleaning agent industry
Pharmaceutical industry
Animal feed industry
Analytical applications
Enzymes as processing aids
Textile industry
Leather industry
Paper and pulp industry
Sugar industry
Coffee industry

23.  Serine hydrolases catalysing the hydrolisys of
triacilglycerols at the lipid-water interface or the
reverse reaction in absence of water.
 Monomeric proteins, having molecular weight in
the range of 19-60 KDa.
 Produced by bacteria, archea, fungi, plants and
animals.
 High stability, selectivity, broad substrate
specificity.
Lipases

24. Lipase in Industry
Source: BCC Research
Detergent,
41.15%
Pulp &
Paper,
6.69%
Chemicals,
7.30%
Biofuels,
0.10%
Leather,
6.28%
Dairy
Products,
17.39%
Sweetene
r; 21,09%
2012 Global Lipase Market

25. Laccases
 Extra-cellular (usually) monomeric
globular glycoproteins with molecular
mass ranging from 60 to 80 kDa.
 Multi-copper-containing enzymes
catalysing the oxidation of a wide
spectrum of aromatic compounds along
with reducing molecular oxygen to
water.
 Secreted by high plants, bacteria,
insects, and by a variety of fungi.

26.  Effluent decolourisation and detoxification
 Pulp bleaching;
 Textile industries;
 Biorefinery;
 Conversion of chemical intermediates;
 Removal of phenols from wines;
 Fiber synthesis and grafting;
 Biosensors;
 Biofuel cells;
 Synthesis of drugs.
Laccase in Industry
Laccase stakes in the market are about $800 million.

27. Enzymatic bleach boosting was introduced in full scale production in the 80’ties.
Enzymes can boost the bleaching process and reduce
chemical use and emission of greenhouse gasses.
Enzymatic bleaching
Un-bleached pulp Semi-bleached pulp Bleached pulp

28. Horizon 2020
The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
where knowledge across different fields of organic chemistry are brought
together to face the different issues that need to be settled in the route
towards a sustainable development.
Excellence in Science; Industrial Leadership; Societal Challenges

29. Green chemistry is cost efficient

30. 0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
United
States
Spain
France
Korea
Germany
Australia
Japan
United
Kingdom
(*)
New
Zealand
Switzerland
Italy
Netherlands
(*)
Ireland
Israel
Belgium
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Sweden
(*)
Portugal
Austria
Czech
Republic
Poland
South
Africa
Estonia
Slovenia
(*)
Slovak
Republic
Number of firms Biotechnology firms
Dedicated biotechnology firms
6 213
0
100
200
300
Ireland
Israel
Belgium
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Sweden
(*)
Portugal
Austria
Czech
Republic
Poland
South
Africa
Estonia
Slovenia
(*)
Slovak
Republic
Number of biotechnology firms
2011 or latest available year
Source: OECD, Biotechnology Statistics Database, December 2012.

31. Biotech industry in Italy
Source: Elaborazione Ernst & Young 2012

32. POSIZIONAMENTO STRATEGICO
L'industria biotecnologica italiana si posiziona al terzo posto in Europa,
dopo Germania e Regno Unito, per numero di imprese pure biotech, a
dimostrazione di una realtà estremamente competitiva e capace di
superare la natura ciclica tipica di altri settori industriali.
Molte Regioni hanno intrapreso iniziative per creare/consolidare il
clustering dei principali attori (pubblico/privati) del settore biotecnologie:
 ASTER – Consorzio per l’Innovazione e il Trasferimento Tecnologico dell’Emilia
Romagna
 Distretto Tecnologico delle Bioscienze del Lazio (DTB), rappresentato da FILAS
 Distretto Tecnologico Sicilia Micro e Nanosistemi
 Distretto H-BIO Puglia
 Distretto hi-tech per le nanotecnologie applicate ai materiali, rappresentato da
Veneto Nanotech
 Campania Bioscience

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