The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry offer a valuable framework for mitigating environmental risks in emerging nuclear technologies such as molten salt reactors and accelerator-driven systems. While traditionally applied to chemical synthesis, these principles can guide the selection of safer materials, promote energy efficiency, and encourage real-time monitoring to prevent pollution and accidents. For example, using inherently safer coolants and designing passive safety systems aligns with principles like inherent safety and pollution prevention.

Moreover, principles such as atom economy, design for degradation, and catalysis can inform the lifecycle management of nuclear materials, reducing long-term waste and enhancing sustainability. By integrating green chemistry into the design and operation of next-gen reactors, we can foster a more ecologically responsible approach to nuclear innovation — one that balances technological advancement with environmental stewardship.

Abdulhamid Dehghani

To make next-gen nuclear waste solutions truly sustainable, we must design them from the ground up to minimize harm at the molecular level—by rethinking every input, process, and output to align with nature’s principles of efficiency, safety, and circularity.

Green chemistry offers the foundational logic to do this, and it's not by treating waste after it forms but by preventing its hazard in the first place.

To make next-gen nuclear waste solutions truly sustainable, we must design them from the ground up to minimize harm at the molecular level; by rethinking every input, process, and output to align with nature’s principles of efficiency, safety, and circularity.

Green chemistry offers the foundational logic to do this, and it's not by treating waste after it forms but by preventing its hazard in the first place.