[Editor’s note: the call for submissions for the 2021 Environment + Energy Leader Awards will be announced next month. Stay tuned for more information. MilliporeSigma was a recipient of a 2020 Top Project of the Year Award.]
MilliporeSigma created the free web-based greener alternative scoring matrix Dozn 2.0, which is a quantitative green chemistry evaluator based on the 12 principles of green chemistry to increase sustainability in scientific research. These 12 principles provide a framework for learning about green chemistry and designing or improving materials, products, processes, and systems, the company said.
Dozn 2.0 scores products based on metrics for each principle and aggregates the principle scores to derive a final aggregate score. The system calculates scores based on manufacturing inputs, globally harmonized system (GHS), and safety data sheet (SDS) information. MilliporeSigma said that this provides a score for each substance and encompasses a diverse portfolio ranging from chemistry to biology-based products. Customers can screen their processes securely utilizing Dozn 2.0. Then, based on the Dozn 2.0 scores, customers can modify their processes to improve energy usage, hazards, and overall sustainability.
The tool groups the 12 principles into like categories, allowing for a focus on the overarching categories of hazard, resource use, and energy efficiency to calculate greener scores on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being the most desired. Dozn 2.0 has been verified and validated by a third party to ensure best practices, and a peer-reviewed paper has been published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, MilliporeSigma said.
During phase one, MilliporeSigma evaluated 50 re-engineered products and processes, and then compared them with the original processes’ scores. One product example is 1-Aminobenzotriazole. For waste prevention, the original process score was 2,701. The re-engineered process score was 1,042, meaning organic solvent usage was reduced by 40%. For “less hazardous synthesis,” the original score was 3,358. By eliminating a hazardous hydrogenation step, the re-engineered process scored 1,455.
The original score for energy efficiency was 3,282. Eliminating elevated temperature usage dropped the score to 1,322. The aggregate score went from 100 to 44, representing a 77% environment and energy improvement overall.
MilliporeSigma launched Dozn 2.0 as a free web-based tool to customers. Currently about 150 customers are using the tool to screen their processes, the company said. MIT is one of the highest registrants employing Dozn 2.0 to improve their overall sustainability.
