A Review on Overview of Green Chemistry

Recent years have seen a disheartening string of revelations in which everyday items once considered safe—food packaging, toys, clothes, furniture, electronic components, and many more products—are found to contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and other harmful chemicals.1 Growing demand for healthier alternatives, already seen in food production and housing construction,2 is also happening at the building-block level of manufacturing, where so-called green chemistry represents a revolutionary change in preventing pollution and health problems starting at the chemical design stage. Many industry and government entities are beginning to espouse the principles of green chemistry on their websites and in public statements. Now comes the task of crafting policy to put those principles into action. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines green chemistry as “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, and use.”3 Green chemistry also aims to mitigate the type of uncertainty Alan Gold-berg, a professor of toxicology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, recently described to The New York Times: “I can get [toxicity] information on only 20 percent of chemicals we interact with on a daily basis.”4 Of that 20%, he now says, he may be able to find information on overt toxicity for about half, but for details on specific effects such as developmental neurotoxicity, the figure shrinks toward zero. So what does green chemistry look like? Consider the example of pregabalin, the active ingredient in the neuropathic pain drug Lyrica®. Pfizer developed an alternative green-chemistry process that converted several steps of pregabalin synthesis from use of organic solvents to water. That reduced both health hazards and production heating requirements. With the new synthesis, waste from the process dropped from 86 kg of waste per kg product to 17 kg, and energy use dropped by 82%.5 Proponents say that’s how the field can offer a win–win–win solution: good performance, lower cost, and less environmental impact—what Richard Engler, program manager of the EPA Green Chemistry Program, calls the “triple bottom line.” For many, a standard is a logical next step. “At some point you have to go beyond a definition and principles,” says Engler. “I think that’s something the standard will enable.”

Green Chemistry

We are grateful to Environmental Health Perspectives for implicitly embracing green chemistry as a field with profound connections to the environmental health sciences. We also commend the efforts of Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) to create greater transparency and accountability around chemicals of concern. We take issue, however, with their approach to key scientific concepts and terminology—specifically their effort to change the definition of “green chemistry.” Precision in terminology is paramount for science to function; all parties to a scientific discussion must share the same set of definitions for knowledge to advance effectively. In their review, Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) ignored the original and current definition of green chemistry, which for almost two decades has been recognized as a scientific discipline within the field of chemistry. Defined in the early 1990s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2009) as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances,” green chemistry is now guided by a set of 12 principles (Anastas and Warner 1998) that are used in both research and teaching in chemis try laboratories around the world. Based on these principles, dozens of universities around the world teach green chemistry as a science. Seven graduate programs offer degrees in green chemistry. Two established peer-reviewed scientific journals focus specifically on research in green chemistry. The impact factor of the journal Green Chemistry (published by the Royal Society of Chemistry) has increased from 2.5 to almost 5 over the past 5 years. More than 1,500 articles on green chemistry have been published in the scientific literature over the past 15 years. Rather than embracing green chemistry’s widely used scientific definition, Wilson and Schwarzman (2009) instead conflate science and policy: The laws governing the chemical enterprise help define the incentives and disincentives that guide economic behavior in the market …. We use the term green chemistry in this context: as an analytical framework that encompasses both the science of safer chemistry and the laws and policies that will motivate its development and adoption by society. This conflation brings with it two risks. First, it undermines clarity in scientific communication, something that is especially important as the fields of environmental health and green chemistry attempt to establish cross-disciplinary collaboration. Such collaborations are likely to prove vital for both fields. Second, it saddles the intellectual and scientific enterprise of green chemistry with policy and, potentially, political baggage, as considerations of chemical policies unfold in the political arena. We are most certainly not arguing that the science of green chemistry should not inform chemical policies. Science and policy will be more effective, however, if political actors do not muddy accepted scientific terminology in service of a political/policy agenda, no matter how noble.

Catalysis as a foundational pillar of green chemistry

The use of toxic, poisonous, hazardous, and bio-accumulative chemical substances is reduced or eliminated in green chemistry, which involves the design of chemical processes and products. It is a fresh take on scientifically based environmental protection and is essential to preventing climate change, acid rain, and global warming. Its basic tenet increases efficacy, selectivity, and minimises waste creation, making it a crucial instrument in the fight against pollution. Keywords: Introduction, Definition, History, Principle, Industrial Interest, In Education, Advantages, Disadvantages, Conclusion.

The first Special Topic issue devoted to green chemistry was published in Pure and Applied Chemistry in July 2000 [Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207-1403 (2000)]. Since then, three collections of works have been published, arising from the recently launched IUPAC series of International Conferences on Green Chemistry:- 1st International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-1), Dresden, Germany, 10-15 September 2006: Pure Appl. Chem.79, 1833-2100 (2007)- 2nd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-2), Moscow, Russia, 14-20 September 2008: Pure Appl. Chem.81, 1961-2129 (2009)- 3rd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-3), Ottawa, Canada, 15-18 August 2010: Pure Appl. Chem.83, 1343-1406 (2011)This Special Topic issue forms part of the series on green chemistry, and is an outcome of IUPAC Project No. 2008-016-1-300: “Chlorine-free Synthesis for Green Chemistry” previously announced in Chemistry International, May-June, p. 22 (2011).The IUPAC Subcommittee on Green Chemistry was founded in July 2001 and has selected the following definition for green chemistry [1]: “The invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances” [2].Much controversy persists about the appropriate terminology to describe this new field of research. Which term should be selected, “green chemistry” or “sustainable chemistry”? Perhaps consensus can be achieved if different purposes and interests of chemists are reconciled. If we are involved in fundamental research devoted to the discovery of new reaction pathways and reagents, “green” is the best word because it defines these intents, thus the term “green chemistry” would be the best name for this field of research. If we are interested in exploitation of a process or a product that must be profitable, then such chemical manufacture must be sustainable by many criteria (price, competition, profit, environment, etc.), and, accordingly, “sustainable chemistry” is the term that best defines this objective.This Special Topic issue has been designed with the intent to explore the restriction, or preferably prevention, of the use of halogenated compounds, whenever feasible, through the assembly and reporting of already identified information. This intent has been pursued through innovative synthetic pathways using clearly identified production drivers (e.g., energy consumption, environmental impact, economical feasibility, etc.). In past decades, scientific knowledge and feasible technologies were unavailable, but we now have enough expertise to pursue discontinuation of hazardous and toxic reagents. In fact, the replacement of reagents that are toxic, dangerous, and produced by eco-unfriendly processes is still an underdeveloped area of chemistry today.Pietro TundoProject Co-chair1. For a short history of green chemistry, see: P. Tundo, F. Aricò. Chem. Int.29(5), (2007).2. P. Anastas, D. Black, J. Breen, T. Collins, S. Memoli, J. Miyamoto, M. Polyakoff, W. Tumas, P. Tundo. Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207 (2000).

In 2015 the United Nations declared a framework comprising 17 aspirational goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was meant to be adopted by governments, industries, and other stakeholders worldwide to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people live with peace and prosperity by 2030. It can make the environment sustainable, in other words. Chemistry can play an essential role in helping society achieve the SDGs and Green Chemistry (GC) specifically may be a key player in this regard. GC complements other streams of chemistry, including environmental chemistry. Environmental Chemistry is the ‘chemistry of the environment’ that explains nature and the impact of man on nature. At the same time, GC is ‘chemistry for the environment’ i.e., more environmentally friendly chemistry. GC may be defined as “invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances”. New chemical research, green and sustainable chemistry education, green and sustainable chemical manufacturing practices, and a sense of social responsibility are critical for all chemists worldwide as we work together to protect our planet Earth. SDGs including Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action is directly related to chemistry at large and GC in precise. Therefore, if we rightly practice GC, it serves the purpose of environmental sustainability and will be useful in achieving the SDGs, which will ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity in the long run. Green Chemistry Education is quite important in this regard, which needs to be practiced more and more.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, provided the fundamental principles (Rio Declaration) and the program of action (Agenda 21) for achieving sustainable development. Sustainable chemistry is understood as the contribution of chemistry to the implementation of the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21.The conservation and management of resources for development are the main focus of interest, where chemistry will have to make a considerable contribution by more efficient and environmentally more benign chemical processes by the following: providing chemical products that are environmentally more benign and that allow us to enhance significantly the efficiency of production processes in other industrial areas combined with minor environmental impact and allowing the consumer to use resources more effectively.Innovations are investigated exemplarily for a sustainable development with regard to their ecological, economical, and social dimensions from an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective. Since base chemicals are produced in large quantities and important product lines are synthesized from them, their resource‐saving production is especially important for a sustainable development. In the long run, renewable resources that are catalytically processed could replace fossil raw materials. Separation methods existing today must be improved considerably to lower material and energy consumption. Chemistry might become the pioneer of an innovative energy technique. The design of chemical products should make possible a sustainable processing and recycling and should prevent their bioaccumulation. Methods and criteria to assess their contribution to a sustainable development are necessary. The time taken to introduce the new more sustainable processes and products has to be diminished by linking their development with operational innovation management and with efficient environmental–political control procedures.

Green chemistry is defined as “the design of chemical products and methods that eliminate or remove the practice and generation of unsafe and hazardous materials”. It is also called Sustainable Chemistry. The exponential growth of the population has emerged in the drastic debilitation of non-renewable fossil resources and an enormous rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide which led to severe energy and environmental crisis. Consequently, it is highly urgent to develop renewable energy to meet the sustainable development of society. Many Chemical Industries mainly pharmaceuticals encounter critical environmental issues for many years. Most of the chemical products have good applications but these compounds produce hazardous waste that is not eco-friendly. Moreover, keeping natural resources on earth without using harmful materials is the prime goal of green chemistry. Also, it was found that it is critical to develop substitute technologies that are safer for both human health and the environment. Furthermore, through various methods of green chemistry environment can be preserved. Nearly most of them are biocatalysis, usage of alternate repeatable raw materials (biomass), diverse reaction solvents (such as water, supercritical fluids, ionic liquids) alternative reaction circumstances likewise Electron beam irradiation method, new photocatalytic reactions, microwave irradiation, radiolysis, ultrasound irradiation etc. With the introduction of 12 principles of green chemistry, guidelines were provided by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) for chemists to develop clean environment-friendly methodologies that are sustainable for the long term. These principles incorporate: Less hazardous chemical synthesis, atom economy, prevention, designing safer chemicals, design for energy efficiency, safer solvents, reduced derivatives, use of renewable feedstock, catalysis, design for degradation, inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention, and real-time analysis for population prevention.

Water remediation is applicable for groundwater, industrial wastewater, and for several other types. This chapter provides a better knowledge of the principles and processes focusing on green chemistry in water remediation. Remedial applications are long-term cleaning activities designed to prevent or reduce the release of hazardous substances and to minimize the risk for the environment and public health. The goals of green chemistry in water remediation and economic gain may be reached through: biocatalysis, catalysis, use of renewable raw materials such as biomass, alternative reaction media, and reaction conditions. Green chemistry aims to minimize or eliminate hazards of chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and products from a chemical process while maximizing process efficiency. The progress in the green chemistry movement has challenged researchers in all areas to investigate the environmental impact of a chemistry process as a part of its development program.

Green chemistry is the design, development, and implementation of chemical products and processes with the goal of reducing or eliminating the use and production of harmful chemicals to human health and the environment. It is a non-regulatory, market-driven approach to long-term sustainability. Through practical examples, the undeniable benefit of Green Chemistry to business and the environment is shown. Green chemistry’s potential to address sustainability at the molecular level must be acknowledged. Green Chemistry pushes innovators to design and use matter and energy in a manner that improves performance and value while preserving human health and the environment at the most basic level. Green Chemistry concepts must become the foundation for tomorrow’s chemistry, including sustainability into science and its inventions.

In its simplest form, green chemistry may be defined as the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry was born out of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, and although the “12 Principles of Green Chemistry” how-to guide was not published until 1998, it’s fair to say that green chemistry is roughly at the quarter-century mark, and it is an appropriate time to step back and look at how it has developed. Not surprisingly, the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) has been linked to green chemistry from the beginning. The vision of CEI is “a sustainable world enabled through the sustainable practice and use of chemistry.” We work to accomplish this through our mission to “advance sustainability thinking and practice across ACS and society for the benefit of Earth and its people.” Green chemistry has aimed primarily to reduce

Green chemistry which is the latest and one of the most researched topics now days has been in demand since 1990’s. Majority of research in green chemistry aims to reduce the energy consumption required for the production of desired product whether it may be any drug, dyes and other chemical compounds. It aims to reduce or even eliminates the production of any harmful bi-products and maximizing the desired product without compromising with the environment. The three key developments in green chemistry include use of super critical carbon di oxide as green solvent, aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent and use of hydrogen in asymmetric synthesis. It also focuses on replacing traditional methods of heating with that of modern methods of heating like microwave radiations so that carbon footprint should be reduces as low as possible. This review emphasize on principle, methodology and recent applications of green chemistry. © 2011 IGJPS. All rights reserved.

Green chemistry is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on minimizing hazardous substances and promoting sustainable alternatives in chemical processes to conventional chemical processes and products. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamental principles, historical development, and practical applications of green chemistry with a particular emphasis on its role in advancing sustainable chemical synthesis, analytical methodologies, and industrial practices. Originating from the environmental activism of the 1960 s inspired by Rachel Carson's"Silent Spring,"green chemistry was formally established in the 1990 s through the 12 principles set by Paul Anastas and John C. Warner. These principles emphasize waste prevention, atomic economy, reducing hazardous chemicals, and using renewable raw materials. Green chemistry significantly impacts sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and education. In the pharmaceutical industry, it fosters environmentally safer analytical methods. The cosmetics sector benefits from biodegradable materials, while educational institutions implement sustainable waste management and laboratory practices. International conferences and academic publications have advanced global awareness of green chemistry, promoting sustainability goals like reducing environmental impacts, optimizing resource use, and minimizing waste. A key focus of this study is the green synthesis of nanoparticles which has emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional synthesis methods that often rely on toxic reagents Plant-derived biomolecules serve as reducing and stabilizing agents in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These eco-friendly approaches eliminate the hazardous chemicals while yielding biocompatible nanoparticles with enhanced antimicrobial and catalytic properties, demonstrating their potential in nanotechnology and biomedical applications. Additionally, green analytical chemistry has revolutionized chemical monitoring by implementing solvent-free methodologies, real-time pollution tracking, and waste minimization techniques. The integration of green chemistry into academic and industrial settings has played a critical role in addressing global challenges such as environmental pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. This review highlights the necessity of widespread adoption of green chemistry principles to ensure economic sustainability, regulatory compliance, and scientific innovation. Future research should focus on optimizing green synthetic techniques, addressing scalability challenges, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate the transition toward a more sustainable future.Graphical abstract

When it comes to ecological diversity, California has it all: snow-capped mountains, wide deserts, scenic beaches, and some of the worst environmental problems in the country. Six of the country’s ten most polluted cities—Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno–Madera, Visalia–Porterville, Merced, and Sacramento—are found in California, where children face fivefold greater risks of reduced lung function compared with children who live in less-polluted areas. Beyond its air pollution problems, California could also face catastrophic consequences from climate change. Assuming warming trends continue at their present rates, experts generally agree that the Sierra snowpack—which is crucial to the state’s drinking water supply—could decline by 50–90% by the century’s end. With statistics like that, environmentalism has become a powerful force in California. According to a 2006 survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), a San Francisco–based research organization, 65% of Californians don’t think the federal government is doing enough to combat global warming. Two-thirds of the population support state efforts to address climate change, while an equal number support tougher air pollution standards on new vehicles, even if it makes vehicles more expensive. California legislators have responded with some of the strongest environmental laws ever passed. Whereas the U.S. government has yet to regulate carbon dioxide, California recently passed AB 32, a groundbreaking law signed by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2006 that directs industries to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by 25% over the next 13 years. Another law—AB 1493, which was enacted in 2002—directs automakers to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by passenger vehicles sold in California after 2009, with a 30% reduction in statewide vehicular emissions by 2016. (That law is currently being challenged by a lawsuit from the automotive industry.) This year, California will consider a statewide green chemistry policy that could exceed the scope of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which sets national policy on chemicals used in products and industrial processes. Local governments have also tightened environmental controls. San Francisco, for instance, recently passed the country’s first ban on baby products containing bisphenol A and has also regulated levels of phthalates in these products. Bisphenol A and phthalates are both suspected endocrine disruptors. Coming from one of the world’s largest economies, these preemptive legislative efforts have impressive clout. “California provides an example [for other states],” says Cympie Payne, associate director of the California Center for Law and Policy at the University of California (UC), Berkeley. “Other states find it easier to model their own laws on those that another state has already put into effect.”