Green Chemistry In Action:
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. The practice of green chemistry would include creating, designing a new product that could be hugely helpful whilst having a minimal environmental impact.
Development of Green Chemistry with the use of Bioplastics:
The start of green chemistry would need to start by considering materials they would use to create their products. Companies would most likely opt for renewable raw materials such as a natural gas. They would also need to consider the impact environmentally, the efficiency of the product, as well as the what they would need to do with the product when it is no longer usable.
Plastics are products that have been in the environment for a long time, but the process of producing these products have severe consequences. Most plastics products are produced from petrochemicals, which are products that have been created from fossil fuels. As we all know, the extraction of fossil fuels can generate air and water pollution, as well as increase the chance of spillage during the transportation of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels is also known to not be eco-friendly, which is why scientists have produced “bioplastics”. Bioplastics are plastics made from chemical derived plants such as potatoes, corns, and peas.
The company known as Greenware has successfully created a plant-based plastic made from polylactate which was synthesized from corn. This Bioplastic product is a great example of green chemistry due to the fact that it is compostable. At 55°C and at a humidity of 90%, microorganism begins the process of breaking down the product. Manufacturers of bioplastics have claimed to have reduced the use of fossil fuel usage of about 20% to 50% less than those who use petrochemicals.
A more Eco-friendly way of Clothing:
More than 480 billion plastic bottles were sold worldwide in 2016. That is up from about 300 billion only a decade ago. Our world has been very dependent on plastic, with usages such as containers for our food, pop bottles, and other various uses. With this colossal amount of plastics that we use every year, and the amount that we recycle, we all wonder what the usage of our recycled bottles would be used for. Well, a scientist has found a way of turning recycled pop bottles to produce fleece products, which we could use as materials for our clothing.
The company of Patagonia which is an outdoor gear company has been using recycled PET (type of polyester) bottles to make fleece based clothing products. Through the use of about 25 pop bottles, that were recycled, sorted and cleaned, are melted to produce a fleece based product. The process includes melting the bottles and adding additional petrochemicals to acquire the desired consistency. The liquid would now be squeezed through tiny holes in a metal plate, which turns the liquid into threads. The threads are then cooled, they go through a process of making the threads warmer, softer, and a more durable project.
Personal Reflection
I strongly believe in the continuous practice of green chemistry. With the practice of green chemistry, we could help our planet slowly become a cleaner, safer and healthier place to live in. Our world produces and consumes products that negatively contributes to the health of our planet. The extraction and the burning of fossil fuels is one of the negative contributions, producing air pollution, which could also lead to the production of acid precipitation, harming environments and living organisms. Substituting plant-based plastic from petrochemical-based plastic has lessened the use of fossil fuels by some company up to 20% to 50%. This is a drastic change which can lead to better results for our environments in the future and reduce the harm done to humans, animals, and the environment we live in. A cleaner air can reduce the release of hazardous chemicals that can potentially damage our lungs. A cleaner environment could also help provide clean water, which is an essential part of our body. Green chemistry can create alternatives for use daily uses, but at the same time reducing its effect on our planet.
As the years go by, and the continuous practice of green chemistry drastically evolves and changes, I only hope our world could also change for the better.
My Question:
How long do you think till our old lifestlye gets replaced by cleaner, safer alternative choice offered by the preactice of green chemistry?
Citations:
-“What Is Green Chemistry?” American Chemical Society, www.acs.org/content/acs/en/greenchemistry/what-is-green-chemistry.html.
- “Basics of Green Chemistry.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 21 Mar. 2017,
- “Better Living through Green Chemistry.” New Scientist, New Scientist, www.newscientist.com/round-up/better-living-through-green-chemistry/.
- “Fact Sheet: How Much Disposable Plastic We Use.” Earth Day Network, 19 Apr. 2018, -www.earthday.org/2018/04/18/fact-sheet-how-much-disposable-plastic-we-use/.
- Nelson Chemistry 11 page 119-121
Hi Adrel,
As stated throughout your blog post, green chemistry is a much cleaner and safer practice than other chemistry. It's true fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources harm our planet. And, with the 300 billion plastic bottle increase in a decade, we need a solution. However, in response to your question, I can say that green chemistry has already started to greatly influence our lifestyle and we have found solutions. As you mentioned there are bioplastics, which are plastics made from chemical derived plants namely potatoes, corns, and peas. Additionally, the Greenware company has successfully created a plant-based plastic. Furthermore, you talked about how recycled pop bottles have been used to produce fleece products, which we could us…