Sustainability has been a buzzword for at least the last decade across all industries and even within people’s homes but it seems now, more than ever, it is actually becoming a leader in disruptive change for corporations all over the globe. We see this push in Chemistry with the increased focus on “Green Chemistry” which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.”

Green Chemistry represents a broad reach in the Chemical Industry to become more sustainable in many different facets of the word. The EPA states that corporations that create technology which, “reduces or eliminates the hazardous chemicals used to clean up environmental contaminants” are creating green chemistry technology. Per this definition, Artificial Intelligence, when applied to Chemical Manufacturing Process to reduce environmental contaminants or when used to develop materials in a less hazardous way, and many more applications, can and would be considered green chemistry technology.

ne 12 Principiu of o GREEN CHEMISTRY • Green chemistry is an approach to chemistry that aims to maximize efficiency and minimize hazardous effects on human health and the environment. While no reaction can be perfectly •green', the overall negative impact Of chemistry research and the chemical industry can be reduced by implementing the 12 Principles Of Green Chemistry wherever possible. l. WASTE PREVENTION Prioritize the prevention Of waste, rather than cleaning up and treating waste after it has been created. Plan ahead to minimize waste at every Step. 2. ATOM ECONOMY Reduce waste at the molecular level by maximizing the number Of atoms from all reagents that are incorporated into the final product. Use atom econonny to evaluate reaction efficiency. 3. LESS HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS Design chemical reactions and synthetic routes to be as safe as possible. Consider the hazards of all substances handled during the reaction, including waste. 4. DESIGNING SAFER CHEMICALS Minimize toxicity directly by molecular design. Predict and evaluate aspects such as physical properties, toxicity, and environmental fate throughout the design process. 5. SAFER SOLVENTS AUXILIARIES Choose the safest solvent available for any given step. Minimize the total amount Of solvents and auxiliary substances used, as these make up a large percentage Of the total waste created. 6. DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY Choose the least energy-intensive chemical route. Avoid heating and cooling, as well as pressurized and vacuum conditions (i.e. ambient temperature & pressure are optimal). 7. USE OF RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCKS Use chemicals which are made from renewable (i.e. plant-based) sources, rather than other, equivalent chemicals originating from petrochemical sources. 8. REDUCE DERIVATIVES Minimize the use Of temporary derivatives such as protecting groups. Avoid derivatives to reduce reaction steps, resources required, and waste created. 9. CATALYSIS Use catalytic instead Of stoichiometric reagents in reactions. Choose catalysts to help increase selectivity, minimize waste, and reduce reaction times and energy demands. 10. DESIGN FOR DEGRADATION Design chemicals that degrade and can be discarded easily. Ensure that both chemicals and their degradation products are not toxic, bioaccumulative, or environmentally persistent. Il. REAL-TIME POLLUTION PREVENTION Monitor chemical reactions in real-time as they occur to prevent the formation and release Of any potentially hazardous and polluting substances. 12. SAFER CHEMISTRY FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION Choose and develop chemical procedures that are safer and Inherently minimize the risk Of accidents. Know the possible risks and assess them beforehand. Ci O COMPOUND INTEREST 2015; WWW.COMPOUNDCHEM.COM Shared under a CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence. BY NC ND
source: www.compoundchem.com

Dr. Paul Anastas, known as the “Father of Green Chemistry” and the Director of Yale’s Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering, has shed even further light on sustainable chemistry sharing his ideas that not only is Green Chemistry about aligning environmental and health goals but also the consideration that “Green” must extend to economic goals through new inventive and innovative change.

Dr. Yuan Yao, a rising star in the industry and a Yale Professor, has worked alongside Dr. Anastas to conduct investigative research that illustrates, “…how emerging technologies and industrial development will affect the environment,” and she also uses, “interdisciplinary approaches in industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, and machine learning to develop systems analysis tools to support engineering and policy decisions towards sustainability.”

It is Dr. Yao’s belief that, “artificial intelligence shows great potential in reducing the energy consumption and environmental footprints for the chemical industry.” And the team at Solve The Unsolvable and Elutions have to agree with her, as our lengthy experience in chemicals and beyond prove this statement to be true. 

Artificial Intelligence, and Elutions’ Maestro Platform specifically, can certainly be considered innovative and a large contributor to sustainable chemical manufacturing. Our team works tirelessly to solve previously unsolvable business quandaries in the Chemical Industry and beyond to create more sustainable business processes and practices. Through the bespoke application of Maestro AI across the entirety of the chemical manufacturing process, from procurement all the way through to the sale of the product, enterprise efficiency is taken to a new level.

Not only does Maestro cover many of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry such as waste prevention & energy efficiency but it goes far beyond to incorporate Dr. Anastas’ ideals of taking into account economic goals, through significant operating margin increases and constant innovation within our Neural Network. Maestro maximizes benefits with continuously increasing speed, scale, and impact.

To learn more about Maestro, please contact us and to read more about our work in chemicals, and beyond, please subscribe below.

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