Green chemistry: Challenges and opportunities in sustainable development

The Green Chemistry revolution is providing an enormous number of challenges to those who practice chemistry in industry, education and research. With these challenges however, there are an equal number of opportunities to discover and apply new chemistry, to improve the economics of chemical manufacturing. Green chemistry is a philosophy and study of the design of products or substances that will not involve materials harmful to the environment. It is a modern science of chemistry that deals with the application of environmentally friendly chemical compounds in the various areas of our life such as industrial uses and many others. This area of chemistry had been developed by the need to avoid chemical hazards that organic and inorganic compounds had on the body of humans and animals. Chemistry plays a pivotal role in determining the quality of modern life. The chemicals industry and other related industries supply us with a huge variety of essential products, from plastics to pharmaceuticals. However, these industries have the potential to seriously damage our environment. Green chemistry therefore serves to promote the design and efficient use of environmentally benign chemicals and chemical processes. All these will be discussed in this article.