Trotta Federico, Winning Danielle, Bozhani Dea, Mirpoor Seyedeh Fatemeh, Lignou Stella, Ghawi Sameer Khalil, Charalampopoulos Dimitris
Metalchemy Limited 71-75 Shelton Street London WC2H 9JQ UK.
Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences University of Reading P.O. Box 226, Whiteknights Reading RG6 6AP UK.
Glob Chall. 2025 Aug 19;9(9):e00263. doi: 10.1002/gch2.202500263. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Silver particles (AgPs) are increasingly used across a range of industries, including personal care, household, and food packaging, but conventional synthesis methods involve high production costs and negative environmental impacts. Green synthesis using plant extracts offers a sustainable alternative, though limited comparative data on economic and environmental performance exist. This study evaluates three green methods-BX3 (a patented extract), lemon juice (LJ), and green tea (GT)-against a conventional method using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). Equal-volume reactions are analyzed via ICP-MS, UV-vis spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) assessed costs and environmental impact. BX3 emerged as the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option, producing AgPs at $13,000/kg with a 75% yield and a global warming potential of 1,900 kg CO₂-Eq/kg. In contrast, NaBH₄ yielded 7.35% at $195,000/kg, 15x more expensive than the BX3 method, and a global warming potential of 74,000 kg CO₂-Eq/kg. GT, while a green method, has the highest cost $690,000/kg, the lowest yield (1.13%), and the worst environmental impact, including a human toxicity value of 92,000 kg 1,4-DCB-Eq/kg-even surpassing the toxic NaBH₄ process. These findings highlight BX3's promise for scalable, low-impact AgP production and broader industrial use.
银颗粒（AgPs）在包括个人护理、家庭和食品包装在内的一系列行业中使用得越来越多，但传统的合成方法生产成本高且对环境有负面影响。使用植物提取物的绿色合成提供了一种可持续的替代方案，不过关于经济和环境绩效的比较数据有限。本研究将三种绿色方法——BX3（一种专利提取物）、柠檬汁（LJ）和绿茶（GT）——与使用硼氢化钠（NaBH₄）的传统方法进行了评估比较。通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）、紫外可见光谱法和动态光散射对等体积反应进行了分析。技术经济分析和生命周期评估（LCA）评估了成本和环境影响。BX3成为最具成本效益和环境友好的选择，以13,000美元/千克的成本生产AgPs，产率为75%，全球变暖潜势为1,900千克二氧化碳当量/千克。相比之下，NaBH₄的产率为7.35%，成本为195,000美元/千克，比BX3方法贵15倍，全球变暖潜势为74,000千克二氧化碳当量/千克。GT虽然是一种绿色方法，但成本最高，为690,000美元/千克，产率最低（1.13%），环境影响最差，包括人体毒性值为92,000千克1,4 - 二氯苯当量/千克——甚至超过了有毒的NaBH₄工艺。这些发现凸显了BX3在可扩展、低影响的AgP生产和更广泛工业应用方面的前景。
