IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol.
8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
www.ijiset.com
Role of Chemistry in Environment: A Review
Sarwan Kumar
Assistant. Professor of Chemistry, Govt. College Bilaspur (H.P.), INDIA
E-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT: Chemistry is important as everything in this universe is made up of
chemicals. Chemistry explains everything around us. It has made our life comfortable by giving
us lifesaving drugs, synthetic fibres, variety of cosmetics, various types of plastics, fertilizers,
pesticides and beautiful paints etc. Chemistry can help us to understand, monitor, protect and
improve the environment around us. Plastics play a very important role today in both industries
and household appliances. Non-biodegradability of synthetic petroleum-based plastic leads to the
accumulation of huge plastic waste which promotes the major environmental impacts like global
warming, ozone depletion, eco-toxicity and eutrophication etc. In the present paper the pollution
due to plastic waste has been discussed which is one of the biggest pollution challenges we are
facing .
Keywords: Chemistry, environment, petroleum-based plastic and pollution.
INTRODUCTION: Chemistry is important as whatever we do in our daily life is chemistry.
Each matter including our body in this universe is made up of chemicals. We all human beings
are chemists. We make use of chemicals every day and perform many reactions without thinking
much about them. Many changes which we observe in our daily life are caused by many
chemical reactions. We find chemistry in air, water, soil, foods, our emotions, environment and
literally in everything which we can see, touch or taste. With such vast range of topics, it is
important to have basic knowledge of chemistry to know the world around us. Chemistry is the
study of matter, its properties, why and how substances combine or separate to form other
substances and how substances interact with energy[1]? It is related with the uses of natural
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substances and the synthesis of artificial ones by chemical or physical reactions [2]. P P
Everything is the product of chemistry. In the morning we use a chemical product in the form of
toothpaste. Chemistry explains how food changes when we cook it, how to preserve food , how it
rots, how our body makes use of the food we consume and how different ingredients interact to
make food. It explains what happens when we breathe, drink, eat or just we do work or take
rest. It explains softness, hardness and the purity of water. It explains cleaning action of soaps
and detergents. It explains which disinfectant and mosquito repellent is safe for use. We can use
chemistry to decide which cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, ourself and our home. Knowing
some chemistry can help us take day-to-day decisions that affect our life. It explains how use of
supplements, vitamins and drugs can help or harm us. Part of the importance of chemistry lies in
developing and testing new medical treatments and medicines.
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IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
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Hand sanitizer generally used to decrease infectious agents on the hands is also a chemical
product. During the covid-19 pandemic because of high demand and shortage of hand sanitizer
World Health Organization produced a guide to make hand sanitizer but there are precautions
against making them such as incorrect measurement or ingredient may result in an inadequate
amount of alcohol to kill the coronavirus thus making the product ineffective or even
poisonous[3]. Exposure to per- or poly-fluorinated substances (PFASs) can raise a person’s
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likelihood of developing severe Covid-19[4]. Chemistry makes one chemical compound a
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nutrient and another compound a pollutant.
Chemistry has made our life comfortable by giving us life saving drugs, synthetic fibres, variety
of cosmetics, various types of plastics, fertilizers, pesticides and beautiful paints etc. We can
give plants the best nutrients to help them in their growth. In a nutshell, chemistry explains
everything around us and the better we know chemistry, the better we know our world.
Environment: Environment means everything that surrounds us. It can be living or non
living things that includes physical, chemical and other natural forces. Our environment is a
huge complex system that includes the air, soil, water and the climate around us. Living things
live in their environment. They continuously interact with it and adapt themselves to their
environmental conditions. In the environment there are different interactions between animals,
plants, air, water, other living and non-living things. Everything is part of the environment.
Healthy living of human beings depends on the environmental conditions. Environment provides
air, food and other requirements and it is the only home that we have. Our whole life support
system depends on the safety of all the environmental factors. In different fields of knowledge
the word environment is used differently. In psychology and medicine, a person's environment
is the people, physical things and places that the person lives with. Growth and development of
the person are affected by the environment.
Chemistry is the central point of discussion about environmental problems. How can we keep
our environment safe and clean? What chemical processes can synthesize the things, which we
can use without disturbing the environment? Chemistry can help us to understand, monitor,
protect and improve the environment around us. Knowing the basic concepts of chemistry we
can observe and measure air, soil and water pollution. Environmental issues such as
conservation, biodiversity, pollution and renewable energy etc. have become important issues in
our daily life. Many people believe that chemistry as well as chemical industries are harmful to
the environment. However, currently many new advances and scientific researches in the field of
chemistry are developed to invent more environment friendly applications and objects. One such
example of environment friendly chemistry is ‘Green chemistry’.
Green Chemistry: It deals with the design of chemical processes and products that reduce
or eliminate the use or production of substances that are harmful to humans, animals and the
environment. Toxic wastes can destroy natural resources and especially the means of livelihood
for upcoming generations. In addition, many feedstocks for the production of chemicals are
petroleum based which is not a renewable resource. The main question is about development
and use of good alternatives. In addition, we must ensure that upcoming generations can also
use these new alternatives. Sustainability is a concept that is used to distinguish methods and
processes that can make sure the long-term productivity of the environment so that even our
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IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
www.ijiset.com
upcoming generations can live on this planet. Sustainability has environmental, economic and
social dimensions.
Principles of Green chemistry are :
1. Waste prevention instead of remediation
2. Atom economy or efficiency
3. Use of less hazardous and toxic chemicals
4. Safer products by design
5. safe solvents, minimum use of solvents which are toxic to environment.
6. Energy efficiency by design
7. Preferred use of renewable raw materials
8. Catalytic rather than stoichiometric reagents
9. Design products to undergo degradation in the environment
10. Analytical methodologies for pollution prevention
11. Inherently safer processes
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on, and the stock of material resources
we use in our daily lives are at the heart of our economy, our society and our way of life. We can
not take these granted for ever. As we strive towards a better world, we work to ensure
chemistry’s contributions are realised. In the present paper the pollution due to plastic waste has
been discussed which is one of the biggest challenging problems we are facing .
Plastic: When it was first produced it was welcomed as a wonder product. Plastic is
multitalented, light weight, durable, cost effective, easy to process, electrically and thermally
insulative, impervious to water, resistant to microorganisms etc. Since the mid-20th century, this
long-lasting and versatile low cost material has been manufactured in loads and disposed of in
large quantities.
Plastics play a very important role today in both industries and household appliances. Plastics are
extensively used for various applications such as hand baggage, toys, food packages, cold drink
bottles, medical equipments ,components of electronic equipment, modules of vehicles,
furniture, dress materials etc.[5] Plastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic materials made
P P
from polymers which are long molecules built around carbon atoms chains, usually with
hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen filling in the spaces. Plastics mostly
are organic polymers.[6] P
There are different varieties of plastics, even within one type, different grades exist (eg, low
viscosity polypropylene (PP) for injection molding, high viscosity PP for extrusion, and mineral-
filled grades). Plastics can be shaped into films, fibers, plates, and objects such as bottles or
boxes etc. Some plastic products have short-term uses and many have long-term applications
(eg, plastic pipes can be used for many years. Plastic is everywhere. It is in our clothes,
shoes, in products on supermarket shelves, in vehicles and buildings etc. Many automobile parts
are now made of plastics. Among the most used polymers are polystyrene polymers and
copolymers, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride etc. All these plastics are made from non-
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IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
www.ijiset.com
renewable resources like petroleum or natural gas. These materials have reduced the cost and
the weight of the cars.
The production of petroleum-based synthetic plastics annually was found to be more than 300
million tons until 2015.[7] Plastics have replaced traditional materials such as wood, ceramics,
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glass, leather ,stone, horn, steel and concrete etc.
Plastic Pollution: Increase in the production and consumption of these plastics causes an
increase of oil consumption and serious environmental pollution. Their production involves
many chemicals, some of which have raised health concerns among consumers. During the
manufacturing of plastic bags, the discharge of carbon and many other harmful gases causes
environmental problems.[8] About 2.8 kg of CO 2 is evolved on burning 1 kg of plastic [9].
P P R R P P
The percentage of plastics in municipal solid waste continues to increase rapidly. When plastic
wastes are dumped in landfills, they form harmful chemicals on interaction with water and the
drinking water may also be polluted.[7] Plastic waste usually does not decompose and can last
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for centuries in landfills, or else ends up littering the streets or polluting the natural environment.
Non-biodegradability of synthetic petroleum-based plastic leads to the accumulation of huge
plastic waste which promotes the major environmental impacts like global warming , ozone
depletion, eco-toxicity and eutrophication etc.[10] P
Plastics are also found where we don’t want them – polluting our soils, rivers, oceans and
harming the creatures that inhabit them. Plastics in the oceans have devastating effects on
wildlife. Animals suffer when they eat plastics and habitats suffer when chemicals leach from
plastics. During the covid-19 pandemic plastic waste is also polluting our environment. Single-
use masks, gloves and bottles of sanitizer protecting us from the spread of COVID-19 are ending
up on the streets, in the seas and among wildlife. Gloves, masks and other personal protective
equipment (PPE) are important for those fighting the pandemic but are also widely used by the
public. Because they are not always disposed of properly, environmentalists fear negative
outcomes for wildlife and the fight against plastic pollution.
Accumulation of vast amount of plastic waste in environment encourages many industrial fields
to produce biodegradable plastic.[12] Fossil resources and environmental pollution are the major
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problems caused by traditional plastics and these should be solved for sustainable development
in future.[11] Thankfully, plastics technology has covered a long way. So efforts have been
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taken to reduce the use of synthetic plastics and to promote bioplastics to meet the growing
demand for global plastic consumption.
Bioplastics: Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources such
as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, woodchips and recycled food waste etc[13]. They can be P P
made from agricultural by-products and also from used plastics by using microorganisms.
Bioplastics are usually derived from sugar derivatives including starch, cellulose and lactic acid.
Bioplastic is also often called bio-based plastic as it is made from plants or other biological
materials instead of petroleum. Bioplastics are not just one single substance. These are a huge
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IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
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family of different materials with different properties and applications . According to European
Bioplastics, a plastic material is called a bioplastic if it is either biobased, biodegradable or
contains both properties[14]. So Bioplastics are biobased, biodegradable or both.
P P 56T 56T
Biodegradability is a chemical process in which microorganisms present in the environment
56T 56T
break down materials into natural substances such as CO 2 , water and compost without harming
R R
the environment. This process depends on the surrounding environmental conditions (e.g.
temperature, water, oxygen) and chemical properties of the material etc. Biobased does not 56T
mean biodegradable. Biobased plastics may be non-biodegradable and fossil based plastics can
56T
also be biodegrade.
A bioplastic can also satisfy both criteria. Polylactic acid, thermoplastic starches (TPS), and
polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are based on natural or renewable feedstock and exhibit
biodegradation under various conditions. Products such as biobased polyamides and
biopolyethylene are fabricated from bioderived feedstocks but are not degradable. On the other
hand polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polybutylene succinate (PBS) are typically
manufactured from petrochemical feedstocks but are biodegradable.
Sustainability is the motivation for bioplastics production. The principle for sustainability is
simply explained. Whatever human needs for survival and well-being directly and indirectly
comes from our natural environment. Sustainable action is one that fulfils conditions under
which human and nature coexist harmoniously and where economic, social and environmental
requirements of present and upcoming generations are fulfilled.
Advantages of bioplastics: To achieve the aim of sustainable production and consumption
and in search of new material solutions, bioplastics have a number of benefits. They reduce
carbon footprint and provide energy savings in production. They save non-renewable raw
materials by using biomass which is regenerated annually. Their production decreases non-
biodegradable waste that contaminates the environment. They do not contain additives like
phthalates, bisphenol A or polybrominated diphenyl ethers which are harmful to human
health. They do not change the taste or fragrance of the contained edible items.
Positive Effects of Human Activities: We must work to make sure that our
developments in some areas do not adversely affect our environment and also ensuring that we
compensate or minimize any damage that has occurred. One important step regarding reduction
of pollution is to be aware of everything that causes pollution. We must use resources
efficiently and reduce the amount of waste we create as a society. We should seek alternatives
free of waste. Even by making simple changes in our daily life we can help to save the
environment.
We interact with the world around us continuously and sometimes some of our actions
adversely affect the environment. But our interactions with environment are always not
negative. Whenever we recycle used paper, plastic or metal, or pick up a piece of waste from
the sidewalk, we have a positive impact on the environment. Our priority should be to avoid
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IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 8 Issue 2, February 2021
ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2020) – 6.72
www.ijiset.com
needless use of plastics. Sometimes the ways of using the plastic polymers cause harms to the
environment.
CONCLUSION: Our policies set out how we will preserve our stock of material resources
by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy.
Comprehensive and regular waste collection systems should be available to collect as much
waste material as possible, promote householder and commercial participation and ensure that
high levels of quality recyclable or compostable materials are available for reprocessing. This
will preserve our stock of natural resources by ensuring as much used material as possible gets
converted into new products again. Not all plastics can be recycled indefinitely. It is not always
technically, environmentally and economically practicable to do so. Polymers can begin to
degrade, meaning their quality becomes too poor to be used in new products. Still there is a
strong requirement to design and improve biodegradable plastics that are not only biodegradable
but also meet the market demand.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author declares that I have no affiliation with or
involvement in any organization or entity with any financial or nonfinancial interest in the
subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
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