From Chemistry 4.0 to Chemistry 5.0: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, and Human-Centred Innovation
Keywords:
artificial intelligence, circular economy, digital twins, green chemistry, human-centred innovation, sustainable chemical engineeringAbstract
Chemistry 5.0 connects digital chemical technologies with measurable sustainability, human-centred design, and operational resilience. This critical narrative review examines artificial intelligence, autonomous experimentation, digital twins, green chemistry, and circular resource use across chemical research and process engineering. Foundational and recent literature is synthesized through four analytical domains: digital capability, environmental performance, human oversight, and resilience. The review proposes an implementation framework that links data and models to explicit design constraints, validation, decision authority, and life-cycle boundaries. Two technology and implementation tables map capabilities to benefits, risks, and staged actions. The resulting framework identifies practical indicators for yield, material intensity, safety, data quality, workforce participation, and system robustness. These indicators require documented baselines and system boundaries; the framework itself has not yet been empirically validated. Chemistry 5.0 is therefore presented as a testable approach for directing digital tools toward safer and more sustainable chemical processes, with future research needed to compare measured outcomes across scales.
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