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Name of the project

Green Chemistry

Name of the student

Sarah Paul

Class

Grade 11 P

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Green Chemistry

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Contents

SL

Topic

What is Green Chemistry

Example of green chemistry

Source reduction

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

Benefits of Green Chemistry

Summary

Bibliography

Green Chemistry

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What Is Green Chemistry?

Think about the phrases, green roofs, green housing, and green business. What do you think
they all have in common? For all of these phrases, the term green is used to indicate that the
item being described is more environmentally friendly or incorporates preservation of the
environment and sustainable methods.
Many industries are trying to make their products and operations greener and more
environmentally friendly. One technique being used is called green chemistry, which is when
chemical products and processes are designed in a way that reduces the use or creation of
hazardous substances. Green chemistry covers the entire life cycle of a chemical product and
aims to reduce hazardous substances from the design process, manufacturing, use, and final
disposal.
Example of green chemistry
An example of green chemistry would be when a company replaces a hazardous chemical with
something nonhazardous. Image a landscaping company that uses a hazardous substance to kill
pests on their client's fruit trees. If this company replaced the hazardous substance with an
environmentally friendly pesticide, they would be using green chemistry. The company would
eliminate the release of the hazardous substance into the environment and help keep the
environment healthy.

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Source reduction
Green chemistry is an important concept to the waste management industry because it focuses
on reducing the amount of waste created instead of simply focusing on how to handle waste
that has already been created. Due to this focus, green chemistry helps with source reduction,
which is when products are designed, manufactured, packaged, and used in a way that limits
the amount or toxicity of waste created.
The first goal of source reduction is to reduce the overall amount of waste that is produced. The
second goal is to conserve resources by not using raw, virgin materials. In other words, by
following source reduction, fewer raw materials will have to be used to produce products.
Green chemistry supports source reduction because it reduces the overall amount of hazardous
substances used, which leads to a decrease in the hazardous waste produced and the need for
raw materials to make hazardous substances.

Green Chemistry

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Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

1

Waste Prevention
Prioritize the prevention of waste, rather than cleaning up
and treating waste after it has been created. Plan ahead
to minimize waste at every step.

Atom Economy
Reduce waste at the molecular level by maximizing the
number of atoms from all reagents that are incorporated
into the final product. Use atom economy to evaluate
reaction efficiency.

Less hazardous chemical synthesis

Design chemical reactions and synthetic routes to be as
safe as possible. Consider the hazards of all substances
handled during the reaction, including waste

Designing safer chemicals

Minimize toxicity directly by molecular design. Predict and
evaluate aspects such as physical properties, toxicity, and
environmental fate throughout the design process.

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Safer solvents & auxiliaries

Choose the safest solvent available for any given step.
Minimize the total amount of solvents and auxiliary
substances used, as these make up a large percentage of
the total waste created.

Design for energy efficiency

Choose the least energy-intensive chemical route. Avoid
heating and cooling, as well as pressurized and vacuum
conditions (i.e. ambient temperature & pressure are
optimal).

Use of renewable feedstocks

Use chemicals which are made from renewable (i.e. plantbased) sources, rather than other, equivalent chemicals
originating from petrochemical sources.

Reduce derivatives
Minimize the use of temporary derivatives such as
protecting groups. Avoid derivatives to reduce reaction
steps, resources required, and waste created.

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9

Catalysis
Use catalytic instead of stoichiometric reagents in
reactions. Choose catalysts to help increase selectivity,
minimize waste, and reduce reaction times and energy
demands.
Catalysts used in small amounts. Can be used more than
once.
Stoichiometric Reagents used in large amounts. Can only
be used once

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10

Design for degradation

Design chemicals that degrade and can be discarded
easily. Ensure that both chemicals and their degradation
products are not toxic, bio accumulative, or
environmentally persistent.

11

Real-time pollution prevention

Monitor chemical reactions in real-time as they occur to
prevent the formation and release of any potentially
hazardous and polluting substances

12

Safer chemistry for accident prevention

Choose and develop chemical procedures that are safer
and inherently minimize the risk of accidents. Know the
possible risks and assess them beforehand.

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Benefits of Green Chemistry

Green chemistry has benefited the environment in many ways, including reducing the amount
and toxicity of chemicals released, making it possible for chemicals to degrade faster, lowering
the potential for ozone depletion, keeping plants and animals safer, and requiring the creation
of fewer landfills.
Although green chemistry was established to help keep the environment clean of hazardous
substances, it has also had many benefits to human health and businesses. Green chemistry has
benefited human health by providing cleaner air and water due to less pollution, making many
consumer and food products safer, and increasing the safety of workers in the chemical
industry.
Businesses benefit from green chemistry because by following the twelve principles they are
able to produce higher yields in a shorter time, while using less raw materials, water, and
energy. Businesses are also able to save money on hazardous waste disposal because they
create less waste. Another benefit for businesses is that they often see an increase in consumer
sales since they can advertise a safer product.
Summary
Now, let's review green chemistry, its principles, and benefits. Green chemistry is when
chemical products and processes are designed in a way that reduces the use or creation of
hazardous substances. It is applied to every stage of the lifecycle of a chemical, from the design
process, manufacturing, use, and final disposal. Green chemistry is important for waste
management because it helps with source reduction, which is when products are designed,
manufactured, packaged, and used in a way that limits the amount or toxicity of waste created.
By following the twelve principles of green chemistry, industries are able to create products
that produce less overall hazardous waste and conserve raw materials.
The use of green chemistry has clear benefits to the environment, including reducing the
amount and toxicity of chemicals released, making it possible for chemicals to degrade faster
and lowering the potential for ozone depletion. The implementation of green chemistry has
also helped human health by providing cleaner air and water and safer products. Businesses
also benefit from green chemistry because they are able to create more products, save money,
and increase sales.
Although green chemistry is clearly beneficial to many people and the environment, it is
important to expand these twelve principles to more industries in order to have a larger impact.
Imagine how much healthier the environment and humans would be if every industry in the
world applied these principles. Although this may be a distant dream, you can do your part by
purchasing products that are made with green chemistry and spreading the word about these
environmentally friendly products.

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Bibliography
1. CBSE Grade 11 Chemistry text book
2. WWW.COMPOUNDCHEM.COM
3. https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/benefits-green-chemistry
4. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/greenchemistry/what-is-green-chemistry.html
5. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2012/green-chemistry/

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