8.1: Basics of Green Chemistry

Learning Objectives

• To understand the basics of Green Chemistry

Basics of Green Chemistry

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry applies across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture, use, and ultimate disposal.

Green chemistry:

• Prevents pollution at the molecular level
• Is a philosophy that applies to all areas of chemistry, not a single discipline of chemistry
• Applies innovative scientific solutions to real-world environmental problems
• Results in source reduction because it prevents the generation of pollution
• Reduces the negative impacts of chemical products and processes on human health and the environment
• Lessens and sometimes eliminates hazards from existing products and processes
• Designs chemical products and processes to reduce their intrinsic hazards

How Green Chemistry Prevents Pollution

Green chemistry reduces pollution at its source by minimizing or eliminating the hazards of chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and products.

This is not the same as cleaning up pollution (also called remediation), which involves treating waste streams (end-of-the-pipe treatment) or cleanup of environmental spills and other releases. Remediation may include separating hazardous chemicals from other materials, then treating them so they are no longer hazardous or concentrating them for safe disposal. Most remediation activities do not involve green chemistry. Remediation removes hazardous materials from the environment; on the other hand, green chemistry keeps the hazardous materials from being generated in the first place.

If a technology reduces or eliminates the hazardous chemicals used to clean up environmental contaminants, this technology would also qualify as a green chemistry technology. One example is replacing a hazardous sorbent [chemical] used to capture mercury from the air for safe disposal with an effective, but nonhazardous sorbent. Using the nonhazardous sorbent means that the hazardous sorbent is never manufactured and so the remediation technology meets the definition of green chemistry.

The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

1. Prevent waste: Design chemical syntheses to prevent waste. Leave no waste to treat or clean up.

2. Maximize atom economy: Design syntheses so that the final product contains the maximum proportion of the starting materials. Waste few or no atoms.

3. Design less hazardous chemical syntheses: Design syntheses to use and generate substances with little or no toxicity to either humans or the environment.

4. Design safer chemicals and products: Design chemical products that are fully effective yet have little or no toxicity.

5. Use safer solvents and reaction conditions: Avoid using solvents, separation agents, or other auxiliary chemicals. If you must use these chemicals, use safer ones.

6. Increase energy efficiency: Run chemical reactions at room temperature and pressure whenever possible.

7. Use renewable feedstocks: Use starting materials (also known as feedstocks) that are renewable rather than depletable. The source of renewable feedstocks is often agricultural products or the wastes of other processes; depletable feedstocks are often fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, or coal) or mining operations.

8. Avoid chemical derivatives: Avoid using blocking or protecting groups or any temporary modifications if possible. Derivatives use additional reagents and generate waste.

9. Use catalysts, not stoichiometric reagents: Minimize waste by using catalytic reactions. Catalysts are effective in small amounts and can carry out a single reaction many times. They are preferable to stoichiometric reagents, which are used in excess and carry out a reaction only once.

10. Design chemicals and products to degrade after use: Design chemical products to break down to innocuous substances after use so that they do not accumulate in the environment.

11. Analyze in real time to prevent pollution: Include in-process, real-time monitoring and control during syntheses to minimize or eliminate the formation of byproducts.

12. Minimize the potential for accidents: Design chemicals and their physical forms (solid, liquid, or gas) to minimize the potential for chemical accidents including explosions, fires, and releases to the environment.

Green Chemistry and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990

In the federal Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, Congress declared that it is "the national policy of the United States that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible; pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner, whenever feasible; pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner."

The law defines source reduction as any practice which reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and, reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants. The term includes equipment or technology. modifications,  process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control."

 

Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

The EPA host a yearly "Green Chemistry Challenge" which gives awards to innovaters in the area of Green Chemistry. These awards recognize new and innovative chemical technologies that provide solutions to significant environmental challenges and spur innovation and economic development.

Some recent winners are:

 

2016 Designing Greener Chemicals and Specific Environmental Benefit: Climate Change Awards

Newlight Technologies

AirCarbon: Greenhouse Gas Transformed into High-Performance Thermoplastic

• Developed a low-cost plastic made from methane-based greenhouse gas that is used to make:
  • bags;
  • cell phone cases;
  • containers;
  • furniture; and
  • other products.
• The new plastic is:
  • net carbon negative; and
  • has equal or better performance than petroleum-based plastic products.

 

Green Chemistry Challenge: 2021 Academic Award

Clemson University

Nonisocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) foam

A team led by Professor Srikanth Pilla of Clemson University is being recognized for creating the first lignin-based nonisocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) foam. Polyurethane (PU) foam is a versatile material used for cushioning (furniture, bedding, car seats), insulation (walls, pipes, roofs), sealing gaps (windows, doors, electrical), and many other things.

• Traditional Foams
  • Are manufactured from known carcinogens.
  • Does not break down easily in the environment and cannot be recycled easily.
• The new foam (NIPU)
  • Is made from lignin- a component of wood pulp, which is safe and renewable.
  • Can be recycled easilyat the end of the product's lifespan.

 

 

 

Information for this page primarily from www.epa.gov