The Role of Green Chemistry in Developing Countries

For a benign future. 

According to INCA, green chemistry is a tool that minimizes the negative impacts of substances hazardous to human health and the environment by utilizing renewable energy to reduce the waste and energy used. This definition of green chemistry states that the process of manufacturing through green chemistry try to be “benign by design.” In other terms, green chemistry processes have minimal environmental impact. Green chemistry is being abundantly used and applied today. According to IUPAC, large-scale production of pesticides, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals in India, are refined by environmentally benign alternatives through green chemistry processes. Principles of green chemistry are also being widely used in the medical industry be chemists to develop more effective drug delivery methods that could benefit millions of patients. In the academic industry, China has applied green chemistry processes in developing new catalysts, polymers, solvents that adds to the usage of more benign and green technologies.

While many developing countries are still suffering from industrial disasters that occurred in the past, one of the world’s worst industrial disaster that still lingers in people’s minds in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. “The accident that released deadly methyl isocyanine gas in Union Carbide’s plant, India, resulting in at least 4000 deaths, was for me, the most significant catastrophe,” said one of the witnesses there. If we had not fully grasped the definition of “benign by design” and applied it efficiently to meet our staggering needs, we may not be able to prevent another industrial catastrophe. In addition, to the things we couldn’t do if we didn’t understand the phrase “benign by design” is we would not be able to use green chemistry to control the impact of China’s expanding population growth that contributes to the annual release of carbon dioxide. Therefore, many environmental, pollution prevention practices and application of green technology particularly in developing countries would not have occurred if we had not grasped the term “benign by design” and adopted green chemistry processes.

Environmental pollution is one of the most aching problems many developing countries are facing from. However, with the application and usage of green technology, not only the environmental impacts have improved in countries such as China and India, where some of the world’s worst industrial disasters have occurred and are yet to occur, but also the economy has improved. Qing-shi Zhu, a physical chemist and manufacturer of methanol automobile fuel from biomass sources said during a press conference that “the ‘green’ in green chemistry is also the color of money.” This new breakthrough saved the chemist hundreds of thousands of Renminbi from waste disposal. Thus, proving that green chemistry lowers the consumption of resources, which reduces the formation of waste and the use of energy. This is because resources can be exploited easily, such as sunlight for photochemistry or biomass to make chemicals. Therefore, the consumption of fewer resources and less energy leads to lower cost. Hence, less waste produced results in lower waste disposal cost including other environmental related costs, as only small quantities of hazardous waste are to be treated and disposed of. Therefore, green chemistry provides economic benefits as well as environmental benefits. In addition, society also benefits from the use and production of fewer toxic substances, as the safety of workers and the community are not only improves but also society in terms of health and well-being.

Will green chemistry bring society and science closer? Although green chemistry has resulted in a drastic environmental, economical and social change, influencing many companies in actively pursuing green chemistry processes, there are still social barriers that impede the progress of green chemistry. This includes the lack of awareness on the application and benefits of green chemistry. Chemical industry sectors, such as Dow and ExxonMobil as well as the society in more economically developed countries are reluctant to change their methods in exchange for adopting greener ways. According to Clark, a green chemistry consultant, “it is not often easy to persuade people that meaningful improvements can be made if they have grown so used to tradition.” In other words, it can be difficult to get people to accept new methods if they are not aware on its benefits and efficiency.

However, there has been a large increase in public awareness of benefits and application of green chemistry in developing countries like China and India, where industrial disasters have once struck. University students have an increasing awareness of green chemistry, as green chemistry and green engineering courses are taught at more than a dozen major universities. Therefore, as both countries become important participants in green chemistry, market demands are growing for sustainability and manufacturers have to supply, thus increasing the number job opportunities, hence increase the profit in the country. So, the impending progress of green chemistry all boils down to the question; will green chemistry bring society and science together? If more public awareness were to be made in schools and universities like in China, then green chemistry will have the potential to do so.

Although the lack of public awareness in some countries impedes the progress of green chemistry, and despite the economical benefits of green chemistry in developing countries, there are several issues that concern green chemists. One of the issues that concern green chemists is determining if the materials produced is safer to human health and the environment. To overcome this issue, green chemists would have to work hand in hand with biologists to test the chemicals being developed. Another issue that concerns green chemists is the financial decisions businesses have to consider. This is because industries are mainly concerned with cost efficiency rather than environmentally effective methods. In India, there is an increasing need for technology to transfer from laboratories to industrial plants for application of green research to develop eco-friendly methodology for synthetic dyes. This requires more funding.

It is evident that green chemistry has environmental, economical and social benefits to be seen as an opportunity in developing countries to a whole new sector of alternative energy. However, changing world views takes time. Society must first be aware of green chemistry, like in China. To speed up this awareness, green chemistry courses must be more available to publicize the needs, effects and applications of green chemistry. Also, industries need to be more concerned about the environmental benefits green chemistry could do to our planet rather than the financial implications required doing so. Therefore, in order to deal with these problems successfully, green chemists must work together with the government, environmental health scientists and engineers to increase funding, to encourage research and to develop new sustainable processes in green chemistry.