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Green chemistry to help protect the environment from the pollution
Introduction
In this era, the environment is at risk due to the increasing chemical pollution related to emerging technologies and lifestyles. Therefore, the environment ought to be protected by all means by all stakeholders in the chemical industry. Industries and institutions should join hands and act on development in the field of green chemistry by eliminating and reducing the generation and use of hazardous materials. The only possible way to achieve greener chemistry is through the collective involvement of industrial, academic, non-governmental and governmental bodies. This discussion seeks to analyze the concept of green chemistry, its principles, and its significance in protecting the environment.
The concepts and principles of green chemistry
Green chemistry is the invention, application of chemical processes and products, and design to reduce or eliminate generation and use of hazardous materials. As such, it is an aim of green chemistry to minimize or eliminate the negative impact of production procedures employed by companies in their production processes (Kostal et al, 2015, pp 6289-6294). The concept of green chemistry can be applied to all facets of the production life cycle. Green chemistry is an eco-friendly way to deal with pollution prevention and risk reduction by addressing the hazards of different substances rather than conditions and circumstances for the use of these substances that might end up increasing their risk (Albini and Protti, 2016, pp 25-61). Green chemistry applies to the various types of chemistry like inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry. Its major focus is on the industrial applications and how these applications can create a sustainable environment (Wilson and Schwarzman, 2016 pp 176). The main goal of greener chemistry is to maximize the efficiency of chemical applications and at the same time minimizing the hazard.
Green chemistry helps protect the environment from pollution. Pollution creates a risk to the environment. It results from the addition of unbiodegradable substances that cause disorder, instability, discomfort, or harm to the environment. It calls for the introduction of a system like green chemistry so as to reduce the risk associated with pollution. Green chemistry is an ideal approach that helps to curb pollution. It is an ideal approach because its main focus is to change the causes of pollution rather than changing the effects. Green chemistry was introduced with a sole purpose of protecting the environment against pollution (Duan, Wang and Li, 2015,pp 5778-5792). It advocates for the designing of chemical processes and products that reduce or eliminate the generation and use of unsafe products. Green chemistry focuses on undesirable substances produced in a chemical process and includes all substances that are involved in the process (Anastas et al, 2016 pp 12-13). It uses the concept of hazard and risk factor. As such, it claims that risk can only be minimized by reducing any hazard and then the potential and cost of exposure can easily be maintained. Green chemistry works collectively on evaluating the methods of designing safer chemicals through minimizing bioavailability, auxiliary substances, averting toxic functional groups, structure-activity, and the mechanism of action analysis. Additionally, it evaluates and designs energy efficient processes of waste disposal in its quest of protecting the environment.
What green chemistry can do and why it’s important
Green chemistry emphasis on the designing chemical products and processes at a molecular level to eliminate and reduce the generation of unsafe substance. It does not employ a specific set of technologies. Its approach offers alternatives that are environmentally beneficial in the long term in that it replaces hazardous products and processes (Anastas et al. 2016 pp 12-13). Through this, green chemistry promotes prevention of pollution. It changes how people interact with chemicals in their daily lives. For instance, it initiated Metathesis used in the development of pharmaceuticals and innovative plastic materials (Kostalet al, 2015 pp 6289-6294). Laureate’s contribution has developed synthesis models that are more efficient, simpler it uses, and environmentally friendlier(Anastas and Eghbali, 2010, pp 301-312). This means less production of unsafe products, less wastage, safe solvents, and fewer resources needed. Metathesis is a remarkable step forward for reducing potentially unsafe waste through an efficient and smarter production. This approach helps companies to reduce the cost they incur in monitoring the level of pollution in the long term. Also, companies are in a better position to lower their power consumption. Through Metathesis, it can be concluded that important basic science such as green chemistry once applied, benefits the society, man, and the environment. Green chemistry is very effective in reducing or preventing the impact of unsafe chemicals on the environment and human health (Anastas and Eghbali, 2010, pp 301-312). Many companies realize that it is one of the cheapest and even profitable way to meet environmental protection goals. Companies gain more profits through improved efficiency, reduction in waste, reduced liability and production of products that are of high quality. Another important concept about green chemistry is that it allows companies to comply with environmental laws in much cheaper and simpler ways (Secchiet al 2016, pp 269-281). More so, green chemistry is a science that addresses the problem of hazardous chemicals at the molecular level and can be applied to all sorts of environmental issues.
Principles of green chemistry
Green chemistry works on certain principles to ensure that the environment is safe. The following are twelve principles of green chemistry
1. Prevention of waste
It is good to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it has been created
2. Design less hazardous chemical synthesis
Synthesis methods should be designed to use and come up with substances that have little or no toxic to human health and the environment
3. Atom economy
This is a method that is used or designed to maximize the incorporation of all materials that is used in the processing of final product
4. Designing safer chemicals
Chemical products should be conceived in a way that they affect their desired function while at the same time minimizing the toxin in them
5. Coming up with safer solvents and auxiliaries
Using auxiliary substances should be considered unnecessary wherever possible and innocuous when used
6. Using renewable and degradable feedstocks
Feedstocks and another form of raw materials should be renewable and not deplete whenever technically practicable
7. Designing for efficiency on energy
Energy requirements of any chemical should be recognized on their environmental and economic impacts. They should be minimized
8. Use of catalysts
These reagents are superior to stoichiometric reagents(Anastas and Eghbali, 2010, pp 301-312). They should be avoided since they speed up the reactions to the chemicals which have negative impacts on the environment
9. Use of reduced derivatives
Derivations which are unnecessary should be minimized or even avoided if possible because those steps can generate waste.
10. Designing for degradation
Chemicals products can be designed in a way that at the end of their use they disintegrate into innocuous products.
11. Use of safer chemistry for accidents prevention
Some of the substances used in a chemical process should be chosen to ensure that they minimize potential chemical accidents
12. Real-time analysis for Pollution Prevention
Analytical methodologies should be developed to ensure that they allow for control and monitoring of substances before they are formed
Examples of green chemistry, application, Innovation, and Technology
Green chemistry examples include bioplastics, halogen-free flame retardants, lead-free solders, and biopesticides. Bioplastics are plastics made from plants such as potatoes, corn, agricultural waste, and other products. Bioplastics available include folks, spoons, and knives made from potato starch. Biodegradable packaging is made from corn. Flame resistant materials are plastics that don’t need the use of flame retardants (Albini and Protti, 2016 pg 25-61). They are alternatives to toxic flame retardants. New soldering materials have been made to replace lead. Innovation in this area includes development of safer batteries and replacing lead additives in paint. Biopesticides are a powerful tool to create new sustainable agricultural products. They are ideal alternatives to the most harmful chemicals currently in use.
As discussed above, the focus of green chemistry is the recycling, elimination, and reduction of the use of unsafe and toxic chemicals in the process of production by finding an alternative, creative ways for making products that have a minimal impact on the environment (Waring and Hallas, 2013, pp 13). Compared to conventional chemistry, the greener approach is more eco-friendly (Duan, Wang and Li, 2015, pp 5778-5792). Green chemistry alternative is key to sustainable development, sustainable lifestyles, and sustainable business. It can achieve sustainability in three crucial areas. Green chemistry contributes to sustainable high-tech civilization through renewable energy technologies. Also, it plays an important role in replacing polluting technologies with benign alternatives and influences the kind of reagents chemical industry use (Makone, and Niwadange, 2016, pp 6). Reducing or preventing pollution requires the application of the practices and principles of green chemistry. There ought to be a collaboration between the academic and industrial partners to see to it that green products are transferred to the market conveniently. For green science to take effect, all collaborators need to work together. The government should be a key player in facilitating the formation of effective partnerships between industrial and academic partners (Llored and Sarrade, 2016, pp 1-28). Chemists play an important role in green chemistry. They can use their knowledge and understanding of green chemistry to justify research into greener and cleaner processes (Duan, Wang and Li, 2015, pp 5778-5792). It is crucial since green chemistry approach involving material energy and reduction of waste leads to reductions in costs, and this will be profitable to many companies. A chemist should understand and be in a position to overcome both real and perceived barriers that hinder innovation in the industry. At times, change is required before the financial benefits are realized. It is the role of a professional chemist to urge all interested parties which include pressure groups, government, customers, researchers, and educationalist to collaborate to ensure a more sustainable and greener future. Green chemistry materials and processes can further be applicable as follows:
· Starting materials
Polysaccharides polymers: These are a very important class of compound which has a broad application of compounds which can be exploited. They are also biological feedstocks which are renewable and are opposed to other feedstocks which come from petroleum products. On top of this, they don’t have toxicity to human health and environment
Commodities from glucose: this is another commodity chemical which is used in the biotechnological techniques which manipulate the shikimic acid pathway. Benzene can be used to minimize the use of certain reagents which has specific toxicity.
· Green chemical reactions
Atom economy and homogeneous catalysis: its aim is to reduce the atoms which produce unwanted products.
Halide free synthesis that deals with aromatic amines: this involves chlorination of benzene. There has been another process which has been developed by Monsanto. This is a new synthesis of 4-amino diphenylamine which used nucleophilic substitution for hydrogen.
· As green reagents
Green oxidative transmission complexes: most of the oxidation processes have negative ecological consequences. This metal ion contamination can be minimized by use of molecular oxygen as the primary oxidant
· Breen solvent and reaction conditions
· This can be classified further as super circular fluids, where CO2 is used as a substitute for organic solvents, and this represents a tool to reduce chemical industry. It is found that catalytic asymmetric reactions and more so hydrogen and hydrogen transfer reactions can be carried out via supercritical carbon dioxide with selectivity.
Conclusion
Bottom line, Green chemistry is the design, application, and invention of chemical processes and products that eliminate or reduce the generation of harmful substances. It plays a crucial role in advocating sustainable development, sustainable high-technology civilization, and sustainable business. With the innovation in the industry accelerated by green chemistry, polluting technologies are being substituted by benign alternatives (Peters and von der Assen, 2016, pp 1172-1174). It is through the concepts of green chemistry that safe products can be produced. The production of the eco-friendly products protects the environment from pollution. Specifically, its goal of manufacturing products and by-products that are less toxic help protect the environment. Green chemistry limits the intrinsic hazard to chemical products thus consequently reducing the risk introduced by product. Apart from protecting the environment, green chemistry benefits people whose residence or job puts them at risk for exposure to a hazardous chemical produced.
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