Green chemistry is promoting a healthy environment for human society. Being responsible citizens we all should follow this. A world free from pollution will improve living conditions and increase the age of life on this planet. We have seen the importance of green chemistry and its application in daily life. It has many applications in our day-to-day life. The following points will show its uses:
Dry cleaning of clothes:Â Â In earlier
days tetrachloroethylene was used as a solvent for dry cleaning. This compound
is carcinogenic and also pollutes the groundwater. Nowadays, liquefied carbon
dioxide with suitable detergent is used for this purpose. It generates liquid
carbon dioxide as a by-product and hence causes less pollution.
 Bleaching of paper: Initially chlorine gas was used for this purpose but now it has been replaced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Hydrogen peroxide along with a suitable catalyst which promotes its bleaching action is used.
In 2005 Ryoj Nojori identified three key
development in green chemistry: use of supercritical carbon dioxide as green
solvent, aqueous hydrogen peroxide for clean oxidations and use of hydrogen in asymmetric
synthesis. Examples of applied green chemistry are supercritical water
oxidation, on water reactions, and dry media reactions. Bioengineering is also
seen as a promising technique for achieving green chemistry goals. A number of
important process chemicals can be synthesized in engineered organisms such as
shikimate, a Tamiflu precursor which is fermented by Roche in bacteria.
A chemist discovered that dried and ground banana
peels are cheaper, 20 times more effective, and safer than alternatives for
cleaning up water that’s been contaminated with heavy metals.
Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
have developed a process that supercritical carbon dioxide in one of the chip preparations,
and it significantly reduces the quantities of chemicals, energy, and water
needed to produce chips.
Read more: Green solvents Examples  || 12 Principles of Green ChemistryÂ