Anastas Warner ‘Green Chemistry Development

A common definition of green chemistry, which clearly encompasses considerable chemical engineering as well, is the design, development and implementation of chemical processes and products to reduce or eliminate substances hazardous to human health and the environment, (P. T. Anastas and J. Warner, Green Chemistry Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1998). A more recent article expands this definition to twelve principles (M. Poliakoff, J. M. Fitzpatrick, T.R. Farren and P.T. Anastas, Science, 297, 807-810 (2002). 

Zero emission plants, environmentally benign or green chemistry, and sustainable development have become the catch phrases of the 1990s (Anastas and Farris, 1994 Anastas and Warner, 1998 Anastas and Williamson, 1998 Clark, 1995). Consequently, traditional concepts of process efficiency are changing from an exclusive focus on chemical yields to one that assigns economic value to eliminating waste and avoiding the use of toxic and/or... 

Finally, a coherent theoretical framework for the green chemistry movement has been developed by two of its pioneers, Paul T. Anastas (whose career is described in the sidebar on page 185) and John C. Warner, professor of chemistry at the University of... 

The 12 principles of green chemistry were developed by Paul Anastas and John C. Warner to help explain what the definition means in practice.110 The principles cover such concepts as... 

The welfare of the people who work with chemical products and processes is at least as important as the welfare of the environment. Green chemistry is anthropocentric (as is sustainable development). Several green chemistry principles reflect this anthropocentrism. Principles 3 (less-hazardous chemical synthesis), 4 (design of safer chemicals), 5 (safer solvents and auxiliaries), and 12 (inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention) express concern for the health of the people who handle materials or attend to processes (Anastas and Warner, 1998). While many of these safety benefits also accrue to nonhuman organisms, the focus of the principles is on the people who are exposed to these materials and methods. Inasmuch as we cannot know all of the environmental needs of nonhuman things, it is hard to imagine how the focus could be on anything else. 

Green chemistry is a highly effective approach to pollution prevention because it applies innovative scientific solutions to real-world environmental situations. The 12 principles of green chemistry, originally developed by Paul Anastas and John Warner, provide a road map for chemists to implement green chemistry (see Table 12.1). 

The most widely accepted definition of green chemistry is The design, development, and implementation of chemical processes and products to reduce or eliminate substances hazardous to human health and the environment . Anastas and Warner developed 12 principles of green... 

Anastas and Warner (see further reading) have developed 12 principles of green chemistry and these clearly illustrate the challenges ahead for research and industrial chemists ... 

Green chemistry is one of the major current trends in chemistry research and industrial practice. However, green chemistry is not very old and only emerged in the last twentyyears from the initial ideas of Anastas and Warner towards a prominent field of scientific research and development. Today, in many university chemistry departments worldwide ideas of sustainability and green chemistry have become part of the education of the new generation... 

Paul Anastas and John Warner in their book published in 1998 introduced the concept of green chemistry as a philosophy for the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The founders of green chemistry formulated 12 basic principles, the application of which in the practice of chemical engineering is expected to lead to the development of ecofriendly products and processes. The 12 basic principles of green chemistry are discussed below ... 

There is some debate as to whether green chemistry includes a consideration of economics, but by definition, if green chemistry is not applied, it cannot accomplish the reduction in the use or generation of hazardous substances. Paul Anastas, then of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and John C. Warner developed 12 principles of green chemistry, which help to explain what the definition means in practice. The principles cover such concepts as ... 

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