Abstract
Faced with an alarming ecological diagnosis, we urgently need to change our modes of operation and production towards mutual and harmonious growth of the economy and natural ecosystems. We show how solutions inspired by, or even based on, nature, to conserve and restore ecosystems threatened by human activities, can be a source of new solutions for nature-friendly chemistry. Indeed, the remarkable capacity of certain plant species to adapt to the stresses to which they are subjected generates biomasses with unique and unusual mineral structures. It is possible to transform the minerals of plant species into biosourced metal catalysts for inorganic and organic chemistry. This original approach constitutes the first example of plant-based metal chemical catalysis : ecocatalysis. Ecocatalysis has created a paradigm shift : transition metal-rich biomasses for restoring soils, cleaning up aquatic systems and protecting wetlands are not waste products, but natural ecosystem restoration systems with high added value for preparing molecules useful for our health and well-being, and for fine chemistry. This makes it possible to support ecological solutions, by transforming the plant biomasses generated into essential raw materials for sustainable chemistry - ecocatalysts. The use of these eco-catalysts in organic chemistry is carried out with an unrivalled environmental commitment that goes beyond the principles of green chemistry.
