Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry

The country that has got the world drinking green tea is also a leader in green chemistry - Japan.

Nobel Laureate Ryoji Noyori is one such leading "green chemist". He came up with a method for the pharmaceutical industry to do away with boron, a highly toxic and polluting chemical. Until then, boron was needed as a catalyst to create chemical compounds. Prof Noyori's method used "clean" hydrogen instead - and led to the focus on the potential of green chemistry.

Green chemistry, its advocates say, leads to greater manufacturing efficiency, waste conversion and more environmentally friendly processes. Some examples include diesel additives, lubricants, paint-stripping solvents and bedding, linen and towels. This translates into profits too - since most green materials and chemical agents are safe and renewable.

For example, catalysts like boron previously and now hydrogen are widely used in industries such as petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. the current world market for the catalysts is an estimated $18 billion while the chemical production through catalysis is worth up to $9 trillion.

Green chemistry is a creative, prosperity-bringing and responsible science.Projects should use safe starting materials, renewable resources like biomass, safe solvents rather than chlorinated hydrocarbons, which is used a lot, and using chemical agents will minimize waste and conserve energy.

Despite its late start, Asia may be the best place to grow this trend. It can help to create ethanol from biomass sources of biofuels which will help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Such efforts could increase the efficiency to process biochemicals and petrochemicals. Green chemistry's impact could be worth billions of dollars.