A critical analysis of environmental sustainability metrics applied to green synthesis of nanomaterials and the assessment of environmental risks associated with the nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is one of the most relevant scientific areas today due to its multiple applications in fields such as medicine, environmental remediation, information technology and energy conversion. This importance has led to the need to advance in the development of environmentally sustainable and safe nanomaterials by incorporat-ing the principles of green chemistry during their synthesis and in their applications. However, this qualitative framework of thought does not offer minimum criteria for the use of the term green, and therefore, this adjec-tive is commonly used to refer to bio-based or nanotechnological processes without taking into account their net ecological impact. In this context, environmental sustainability metrics can be applied to nanotechnology to com-pare, optimize and quantify the environmental sustainability of synthesis procedures. This review provides an overview of green chemistry and its application in nanotechnology, but also an analysis of the use of green chem-istry principles in the development of bio-based nanobiotechnology and nanosynthesis, with special emphasis on the use of sustainability's metrics for the quantitative analysis of nanomaterial synthesis protocols. These include: Atom Economy, E-factor, Process Mass Intensity, Energy Intensity, and Life Cycle Analysis. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Nanotechnology is a highly relevant scientific field with applications in various industries, prompting the need for environmentally sustainable nanomaterials developed using green chemistry principles. Environmental sustainability metrics can be utilized to compare and quantify the ecological impact of synthesis procedures.