6 Summary

In this course, you looked at how the chemical industry is shedding its dirty and polluting image, as it moves towards a more sustainable approach to chemical manufacture with a reduced environmental impact:

You looked at:

• The UN Sustainable Development Goals which aim (by 2030) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.
• The circular economy which is based on reuse and recycling of materials or products in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
• The Haber–Bosch process for the production of ammonia for fertilisers, and the challenges to chemists to produce the gas in a way that reduces the huge energy requirements that currently exist.
• The 12 principles of green chemistry that encourage the design of sustainable chemical processes.
• Atom economy as a metric for the efficiency of a chemical manufacturing process.
• The imperative for the recycling and reuse of many elements as demand increases, and their availability diminishes.