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. 2018 Jul 4;16(7):227. doi: 10.3390/md16070227

Table 1.

Definitions of concepts involved in green metrics.

Concept Abbreviation Definition
Atom Economy AE The amount of raw material used as a substrate that becomes a useful product with the minimum waste production
Environmental Quotient EQ The relation between the mass of waste generated during a process and the environmental impact that the waste causes
Reaction Mass Efficiency RME This concept takes into consideration not only the atom economy but also the yield and stoichiometry of a chemical reaction
Mass Intensity MI The total mass of material, such as reactants, solvents, and reagents, used to produce a specific mass of product
The Life-Cycle Assessment LCA A technique to evaluate the environmental impact of the entire life of a product, this included all the steps from the extraction of raw material, manufacturing, storing, distribution, use, disposal and recycling