Sridevi Chigurupati
AIMST University, Malaysia
Title: Green chemistry - not a solution but the most fundamental approach to prevent pollution
Biography
Biography: Sridevi Chigurupati
Abstract
Chemistry is incontestably a very prominent part of our daily lives. Chemical progresses bring new environmental complications and harmful unexpected side effects, which result in the need for ‘greener’ chemical products. The application of green chemistry principles in academics and industries can therefore be a significant prospect to enhance our positive impact on the global community. Green chemistry can be defined as the invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. This presentation is a strategy towards sustainable development and with an aim to create a ‘Greener World.’ The success of the modern pharmaceutical industry is firmly built on the remarkable achievements of organic synthesis over the last century. However, the down side is that many of this time - honored and trusted synthetic methodologies were developed in an era when the toxic properties and the issues of waste minimization and sustainability were largely unheard of. The concept of benign by design started in mid-1990’s that is designing environmentally benign products and processes to address the environmental issues of both chemical products and the processes by which they are produced. This integrated the conceptions of atom economy and E- factors eventually became a guiding principle of Green Chemistry. Another concept which has become the focus of attention, both in industry and society at large, in the last decade or more is that of sustainable development, meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development and Green Chemistry have now become a strategic industrial and societal focus, the former is our ultimate goal and the latter is a means to achieve it. On conclusion, it is clear that the challenge of sustainability and Green Chemistry is leading to fundamental, game changing innovations in organic synthesis that will ultimately lead to economic, environmental and societal benefits in the pharmaceutical industry and in the chemical and allied industries at large. Green chemistry is not a solution to all environmental problems but is the most fundamental approach in preventing pollution.