Green Chemistry Flashcards
1
Q
5 principles of chemical sustainability
A
- Using industrial processes that reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals and which involve the use of fewer chemicals
- Designing processes with a high atom economy that minimise the production of waste materials
- Using renewable resources such as plant-based substances
- Seeking alternative energy sources such as solar energy, rather than consuming finite resources such as fossil fuels that will eventually be exhausted
- Enusring that any wast products produced are non-toxic, and can be recycled or biodegraded by being broken down into harmless substances in the environment
2
Q
Examples of use of principles of chemical sustainability
A
- Lead has been eliminated from petrol, paints and electrical components
- New foams have been invented to put out fires without producing toxic/ozone damaging substances (e.g. CFCs)
- Solvent-free reactions (organic solvents can be volatile, flammable and toxic)
- Liquid ‘supercritical CO(2) used in dry cleaning, instead of chlorinated compounds
- Replacing fossil fuels with renewable alternatives
- Increased recycling of manufactured materials such as glass, plastics and metals
3
Q
Examples of apparent ‘benefits’
A
Production of biodiesel as a renewable fuel source (yay) uses grain crops and land needed for food, with poorer countries being the worst affected
4
Q
Importance of establishing international cooperation
A
Hazardous chemicals don’t recognise national boundaries. Ocean currents or winds can carry them from one nation to another. Many countries have now signed up to international treaties to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.
5
Q
Examples of international treaties to reduce use of hazardous chemicals
A
- Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to encourage governments to eliminate ore reduce the release of toxic POPs
- The Rio Declaration of Environment and Development, to guide future sustainable development
