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Green Chemistry: Science and Politics of Change: Reen Hemistry
Green Chemistry: Science and Politics of Change: Reen Hemistry
Green Chemistry: Science and Politics of Change: Reen Hemistry
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VIEWPOINT
The chemical industry plays a key role in sustaining the world economy worldwide research aimed at cleaner process-
and underpinning future technologies, yet is under unprecedented pres- ing has increased sharply (8).
sure from the effects of globalization and change in many of its traditional Already in the 19th century, environ-
markets. Against this background, what will be needed for the industry to mental regulation resulted in the cleanup of
embrace efforts to make it “greener”? We explore some of the issues the LeBlanc soda process and other simi-
raised by the development of “green chemistry” techniques and identify larly polluting processes (9). More recent-
potential barriers to their implementation by industry. ly, the Montreal Protocol has led to the
successful replacement of chlorofluorocar-
Most processes that involve the use of chemi- risk), providing inherent safety from acci- bons by compounds that do not affect the
cals have the potential to cause a negative im- dents or acts of terrorism. ozone layer appreciably. However, given
pact on the environment. It is therefore essential Legislation has been effective in improv- society’s demand for chemical products,
that the risks involved be eliminated or at least ing environmental conditions, but toxic ma- most of these improvements could not have
reduced to an acceptable level. In its most sim- terials are still discharged in considerable taken place in the absence of viable meth-
ple form, risk can be expressed as amounts—7 billion pounds (3.2 ⫻ 108 kg) in ods for reducing the environmental impact
2000 in the United States alone (4 ). Regula- of the processes or introducing less harmful
Risk ⫽ Hazard ⫻ Exposure (1)
tion clearly has a major and continuing role to replacement products. Today, there is an
Traditionally, the risks posed by chemical pro- play in lessening the environmental impact of increasing awareness that sophisticated
cesses have been minimized by limiting expo- the chemical industry (5). Green chemistry technologies and radical new processes will
sure by controlling so-called circumstantial fac- can potentially generate an even greater en- be needed for the full potential for environ-
tors, such as the use, handling, treatment, and vironmental benefit by removing the intrinsic mental improvement to be realized. Major
disposal of chemicals. The existing legislative hazard of particular products or processes, advances in understanding the relation be-
and regulatory framework that governs these thereby moving them outside the scope of tween the molecular structure of chemical
processes focuses almost exclusively on many environmental regulations. products and their toxicity mean that we
this issue. By contrast, green chemistry can begin to design “safer” chemicals.
( Table 1) (1–3) seeks to minimize risk by Involvement of Academia and Industry The term “green chemistry” was coined
minimizing hazard. It thereby shifts control Green chemistry is a major component of the only 10 years ago (10). Given that the devel-
from circumstantial to intrinsic factors, science underlying the “responsible care” opment time for a new chemical process is
such as the design or selection of chemicals program of the chemical industry (6) and of often more than a decade, there has been
with reduced toxicity and of reaction path- “sustainable development” (7). Making re- insufficient time for green chemistry princi-
ways that eliminate by-products or ensure duced hazard an important criterion for judg- ples (Table 1) to be translated systematically
that they are benign. Such design reduces ing the performance of a product or process into industrial processes. Nevertheless, many
the ability to manifest hazard (and therefore provides a new challenge for traditional aca- recently developed processes and products
demic research. Academic interest in green fulfill most of these principles. For example,
chemistry is reinforced by the increasing re- the waste greenhouse gas, N2O, from the
1
School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Not-
tingham NG7 2RD, UK. 2Rohm & Haas Co., 100
quirement by funding agencies that academic manufacture of adipic acid (a component of
Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106, research should address quality-of-life issues nylon) is being reused as the oxidant in a
USA. and should be commercially more exploit- greener route to phenol (11). Tetrakis(hy-
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E- able, and by increased “outsourcing” of in- droxymethyl)phosphonium phosphate is used
mail: martyn.poliakoff@nottingham.ac.uk dustrial research to universities. As a result, as a low-dose, low-toxicity control agent for
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