Green Chemistry and the Environment

V K Ahluwalia

Feb 2019 · The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

About this ebook

To sustain life, all living beings need energy and resources that are met by the environment. The welfare of humans and their continuing existence depends on the living environment. That being the case a healthy environment is the prerequisite for a healthy living. Activities, both natural and anthropogenic, have degraded the environment; however, the role played particularly by humans is the primary cause of the present deterioration of the environment. Deforestation, urbanization, soil erosion, water pollution, and air pollution are the noteworthy anthropogenic activities that illustrate the quality of environmental deterioration.

 

Green Chemistry and Environment deals with the prevention and minimization of environmental pollution, based on the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. The book discusses the major forms of environmental pollution such as air, water, soil, radiation, and noise pollution; their causes; and prevention. Application of green chemistry as a tool in the production line for the development of environmentally benign products forms the core of the book. How the pollution caused by deforestation, agricultural activities, and industrial production can be mitigated is also discussed extensively.

About the author

Professor V K Ahluwalia is Professor (Retd) of Chemistry, University of Delhi. His tenure in this university spanned for more than 30 years. For these three decades, he taught numerous graduate, postgraduate, and MPhil students and provided guidance to about 70 students for their MPhill and Doctoral degrees. He was also Visiting Professor at Dr B R Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi. Professor Ahluwalia worked as a Post-doctoral Fellow for two years (1960−62), and had the opportunity to work with Professor Harold Shechter at the Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University. He also worked with Professor Herbert C Brown (Nobel Laureate) at the Department of Chemistry, Purdue University. Professor Ahluwalia has published more than 250 research papers in national and international journals. He is the distinguished author of a number of books on reaction mechanism, green chemistry, environmental chemistry, and organic synthesis. Some of these include Green Chemistry: environmentally benign reactions, College Practical Chemistry, Comprehensive Practical Organic Chemistry Qualitative Analysis, and The Environment. His co-authored books include New Trends in Green Chemistry; Green Chemistry in 21st Century and Beyond; Organic Reaction Mechanisms; Chemistry of Natural Products: amino acids, peptides, and enzymes; Comprehensive Practical Organic Chemistry: preparation and quantitative analysis; Comprehensive Practical Organic Chemistry: quantitative analysis; Environmental Science; A Textbook of Organic Chemistry; and Organic Synthesis: special techniques. His book Green Chemistry: environmentally benign reactions is winner of 2009 Choice Award of Outstanding Title.