The pursuit for sustainable green chemistry in polymer research

Authors: Cheng, Huai; GROSS, RICHARD - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Submitted to: ACS Symposium Series
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2023
Publication Date: 10/16/2023
Citation: Cheng, H.N., Gross, R.A. 2023. The pursuit for sustainable green chemistry in polymer research. In: Cheng, H.N., Gross, R.A., editors. Sustainable Green Chemistry in Polymer Research. Volume 1. Biocatalysis and Biobased Materials. ACS Symposium Series. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society. p. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2023-1450.ch001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2023-1450.ch001

Interpretive Summary: Sustainability entails the management of natural resources, environmental protection, reduction in waste, and avoidance of hazardous materials in order to ensure that future generations of humanity can continue to enjoy an acceptable quality of life on earth. Green chemistry signifies the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Sustainable green chemistry refers to the practice of chemistry according to both sustainability and green chemistry principles. In the context of polymer research, sustainable green chemistry includes a range of research and development (R&D) activities, such as the use of biocatalysis and biobased materials, polymer recycling, green polymers and polymerization methods, and applications of sustainable polymers. In this article, an overview is given of current R&D activities in sustainable green polymer chemistry. This article also serves as an introductory chapter to the ACS book on “Sustainable Green Chemistry for Polymer Research.” The information given here should be helpful to scientists, engineers, and students who work with sustainable green chemistry or who are interested in learning more about this area of research.

Technical Abstract: Sustainability has been given a big boost since the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) in 2015. The SDGs have sparked significant global activities in research dealing with sustainability and green chemistry. A promising area of opportunity is polymer science and technology because a large segment of the chemical industry uses polymeric materials. Indeed, green polymer chemistry is currently a popular research area, with numerous research groups working on different topics within this area. In this article, an overview is provided of some of the active topics. For convenience, these developments are grouped into seven sections: sustainability metrics and analyses, enzymatic catalysis, polymer recycling methods, biobased materials and additives, novel polymers and polymerization methods, applications of sustainable polymer chemistry, and nanomaterials and applications. Examples for each section are taken from the chapters of this book. In view of the many ongoing activities, further progress in this research area is anticipated in the future.