Environmental Sustainability through Green Chemistry

Abstract

Green chemistry is one of the most fundamental and powerful tools to use on the path to sustainability. In fact, without green chemistry and green engineering, there is no path to sustainability. The term green chemistry was coined by Paul T. Anastas in 1991. Its objective is to design chemicals and chemical processes that are less harmful to human health and the environment. Green chemistry protects the environment, not by cleaning, but by inventing new chemical processes that do not pollute the environment. It is clear that many industries and research from many academics recognize the importance of green chemistry. The practice of green chemistry uses a set of principles that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and applications of chemical products. Chemistry is actually very useful for us as its applications are used for many purposes all over the World. We cannot really imagine a world without chemistry and its applications. However, we should now focus on green chemistry, or sustainable chemistry which means reducing or preventing harm to the environment around us. Therefore, green chemistry can include anything from reducing waste to disposing of waste properly. This article is a brief overview of green chemistry principles.