From agriculture to pharmaceuticals to consumer electronics, chemistry drives the products and materials that make modern life possible. However, resources are finite, and waste and pollution are continuous concerns that must be addressed. At the same time, climate change is exacerbating environmental issues, making it urgent to produce what we need more sustainably. To support our economies, we still need chemistry and all its innovations — but they must be greener. Some of the most important scientific trends today are doing exactly that.
Make sure to register [link] for our CAS Insights Webinar: Key trends in green chemistry. Dan Bailey (Associate Scientific Fellow for Sustainability at Takeda) and Dr. Amy Cannon (Executive Director & Co-Founder at Beyond Benign) will join Leighton Jones (CAS Lead Scientist, Materials) to discuss key trends shaping this vital area of science. We hope to see you there!
Can abundant elements power the next generation of permanent magnets?
Permanent magnets are crucial components of motors, semiconductors, generators, and all types of consumer electronics. These magnets rely on rare earths, a subset of critical metals, which are geographically concentrated and expensive to source. About 80% of all rare earths are sourced from China, and cost and availability are increasing concerns. Mining rare earths can also be environmentally damaging, so sourcing them from other countries isn’t always possible.
Researchers are now developing high-performance magnetic materials using earth-abundant elements like iron and nickel to replace rare earths in permanent magnets. These alternatives include engineered compounds such as iron nitride (FeN) and tetrataenite (FeNi), which offer competitive magnetic properties without the environmental and geopolitical costs of rare earth sourcing.
For example, scientists recently found that adding phosphorus to an iron-nickel alloy produces tetrataenite, a powerful magnet found in meteorites that normally takes millions of years to form. This green chemistry breakthrough makes the material in seconds and provides a powerful alternative to rare earths, particularly neodymium magnets.
Permanent magnets containing abundant elements can drive more sustainable manufacturing for the following:
- Electric vehicle (EV) motors
- Wind turbines
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines
- Consumer electronics such as speakers and smartphones
Look for the scaling of production of these magnets soon as more industries seek affordable, greener alternatives to rare earths.
Factories going green with PFAS-free alternatives
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and increasingly regulated due to their links to environmental and health risks. Many industries are under pressure to phase out PFAS from their manufacturing processes and supply chains, particularly those deemed “nonessential” uses such as textiles, cosmetics, cookware, and plastics. Implementing green manufacturing processes for these products offers a long-term solution rather than short-term substitution.
PFAS-free manufacturing includes replacing PFAS-based solvents, surfactants, and etchants with alternatives such as plasma treatments, supercritical CO₂ cleaning, and bio-based surfactants like rhamnolipids and sophorolipids. In some cases, fluorine-free coatings made from silicones, waxes, or nanocellulose are also integrated into redesigned workflows.
These innovations reduce potential liability and cleanup costs associated with PFAS contamination, and they enable safer, more compliant production of numerous products. They also open the door to green surfactant systems and fluorine-free coatings that meet performance standards without toxic substances.
As we discussed in our report on the PFAS landscape, phasing out PFAS is a global challenge, but recent breakthroughs may lead to the commercial rollout of fluorine-free coatings in clothing, food packaging, and more. We may also soon see the development of bio-based surfactants and green process engineering.
Mechanochemistry and green reactions: new pathways with solvent-free synthesis
Mechanochemistry uses mechanical energy — typically through grinding or ball milling — to drive chemical reactions without the need for solvents. This technique enables conventional and novel transformations, including those involving low-solubility reactants or compounds that are unstable in solution. It’s used more to synthesize pharmaceuticals, polymers, and advanced materials, opening new frontiers in reaction discovery and catalysis.
Solvents often account for a significant portion of the environmental impacts of pharmaceutical and fine chemical production, so removing them from the process is a sustainable manufacturing approach that reduces waste and enhances safety. For example, anhydrous organic salts have potential applications as pure organic proton conducting electrolytes in fuel cells — themselves a renewable energy technology that can help lower emissions. Researchers used mechanochemistry to synthesize solvent-free imidazole-dicarboxylic acid salts, which successfully reduced solvent usage, provided high yields, and used less energy.
We expect to see industrial-scale mechanochemical reactors for pharmaceutical and materials production in the coming years. This technology may also expand into asymmetric catalysis, metal-free transformations, and continuous manufacturing. AI-guided discovery of novel mechanochemical reactions and catalysts is also highly promising.
AI helps chemists choose the most sustainable path
Traditional reaction optimization often prioritizes yield and speed over environmental costs. AI in chemistry allows researchers to design reactions that are not only effective but aligned with green chemistry principles. AI is transforming chemical research by enabling predictive modeling of reaction outcomes, catalyst performance, and environmental impacts.
In green chemistry, AI optimization tools are being trained to evaluate reactions based on sustainability metrics, such as atom economy, energy efficiency, toxicity, and waste generation. These models can also suggest safer synthetic pathways and optimal reaction conditions — including temperature, pressure, and solvent choice — thereby reducing reliance on trial-and-error experimentation.
How can AI assist in this area? It can:
- Predict how catalysts will behave without having to physically test them, which reduces waste, energy usage, and the use of potentially hazardous chemicals.
- Design catalysts that support greener ammonia production for sustainable agriculture, and others that optimize fuel cells.
- Support autonomous optimization loops that integrate high-throughput experimentation with machine learning.
As regulatory and ESG pressures grow, these predictive models and AI-powered tools can support sustainable product development across pharmaceuticals, materials science, and more. The maturation of these tools will lead to the development of standardized sustainability scoring systems for chemical reactions. We also expect to see the expansion of AI-guided retrosynthesis tools that prioritize environmental impact alongside performance.
In-water and on-water reactions enabling greener synthesis pathways
The chemical industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint. Organic solvents are a major contributor to hazardous waste, air pollution, and safety risks. Water, by contrast, is non-toxic, non-flammable, and widely available. For decades, however, it was assumed that water couldn’t function as a solvent for catalysis. Recent breakthroughs show that many reactions can be achieved in or on water — a paradigm shift in sustainable chemistry.
In-water and on-water reactions are chemical processes that occur either within water as a solvent or at the interface between water and water-insoluble reactants. These reactions leverage water’s unique properties, such as hydrogen bonding, polarity, and surface tension, to facilitate or accelerate chemical transformations. On-water reactions often proceed well even when reactants are not soluble in water, suggesting that the water-organic interface plays an active catalytic role.
For example, scientists recently developed silver nanoparticles in water by striking a silver nitrite solution with electrons. The project aimed to better understand nanoparticle growth control and plasma-driven electrochemistry. The Diels-Alder reaction was also successfully accelerated in water. Since this reaction is used across numerous organic chemistry applications, completing it without toxic solvents can enhance green chemistry across pharmaceuticals and various materials.
Replacing toxic organic solvents with water enables greener synthesis pathways and manufacturing. It also reduces production costs and can expand access to chemical synthesis in low-resource settings and educational institutions. We expect to see:
- Wider adoption of water-based reactions in pharmaceutical R&D pipelines.
- Development of new catalysts optimized for aqueous environments.
- Integration with flow chemistry and continuous manufacturing systems.
- Expansion into polymer and materials synthesis beyond small molecules.
- Improved modeling of interfacial effects to predict on-water reaction outcomes.
DES-powered extraction reshapes circular chemistry
Extracting metals from electronic waste is a critical imperative to avoid toxic pollution and ensure adequate supplies of materials for consumer and industrial devices. Removing bioactive compounds from waste streams is likewise important, yet traditional extraction methods for critical metals and bioactive compounds are often energy-intensive, hazardous, and environmentally damaging.
Deep eutectic solvents (DES), however, are mixtures of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors that form a eutectic with a melting point lower than either component. These customizable, biodegradable solvents are being used to extract both critical metals, like gold, lithium, and rare earths, and bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and lignin, from waste streams, ores, and agricultural residues. DES offer a low-toxicity, low-energy alternative to conventional solvents like strong acids or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). DES examples include:
- Hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA): Typically quaternary ammonium salts (e.g., choline chloride)
- Hydrogen bond donor (HBD): Compounds like urea, glycols, carboxylic acids, or sugars
- Typical ratio: 1:2 or 1:3 (HBA:HBD)
DES align with the goals of the circular economy, namely, enabling resource recovery from e-waste, spent batteries, and biomass while minimizing emissions and chemical waste. They support bio-refinery development by extracting valuable compounds from agricultural byproducts. They also reduce reliance on petrochemical solvents and expand market opportunities for sustainable materials.
In the near future, we expect to see a scale-up of DES-based systems for industrial metal recovery and biomass processing, and commercial DES formulations tailored for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. Full-spectrum biomass valorization is also possible with the integration of enzymatic and fermentation processes.
Green chemistry affects all industries and fields, and as research continues, it will become more common, affordable, and environmentally sustainable. Stay up-to-date on all the latest research here:
