Green chemistry is 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, use, and ultimate disposal. When you need chemicals, you can surf the website of Echemi to purchase the chemicals you need as Echemi is one of the leading suppliers of chemicals in China.

Green chemistry:

Prevents pollution at the molecular level

Is a philosophy that applies to all areas of chemistry, not a single discipline of chemistry

Applies innovative scientific solutions to real-world environmental problems

Results in source reduction because it prevents the generation of pollution

Reduces the negative impacts of chemical products and processes on human health and the environment

Lessens and sometimes eliminates hazard from existing products and processes

Designs chemical products and processes to reduce their intrinsic hazards

How green chemistry differs from cleaning up pollution

Green chemistry reduces pollution at its source by minimizing or eliminating the hazards of chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and products.

This is unlike cleaning up pollution (also called remediation), which involves treating waste streams (end-of-the-pipe treatment) or cleanup of environmental spills and other releases. Remediation may include separating hazardous chemicals from other materials, then treating them so they are no longer hazardous or concentrating them for safe disposal. Most remediation activities do not involve green chemistry. Remediation removes hazardous materials from the environment; on the other hand, green chemistry keeps the hazardous materials out of the environment in the first place.

If a technology reduces or eliminates the hazardous chemicals used to clean up environmental contaminants, this technology would qualify as a green chemistry technology. One example is replacing a hazardous sorbent [chemical] used to capture mercury from the air for safe disposal with an effective, but nonhazardous sorbent. Using the nonhazardous sorbent means that the hazardous sorbent is never manufactured and so the remediation technology meets the definition of green chemistry.

Chemicals that are less hazardous to human health and the environment are:

Less toxic to organisms

Less damaging to ecosystems

Not persistent or bioaccumulative in organisms or the environment

Inherently safer to handle and use because they are not flammable or explosive