Title: Laptop with Biodegradable Chassis
1Laptop with Biodegradable Chassis
2Concept of Green Chemistry Task 1
- Concept of green chemistry
- 12 principles of green chemistry explained
3What is the concept of Green Chemistry?
- Green Chemistry is the application of 12
principles aiming to reduce the use and
generation of hazardous substances during the use
and application of chemical products. - Green Chemistry also aims to protect the
environment not by cleaning it up but by not
creating a mess in the first place.
412 Principles of Green Chemistry Explained
- 1. Prevent waste
- The 1st principle mainly applies for chemists to
design safer chemical transformations to minimize
the hazardous wastes that are emitted into the
environment. It is better and easier to not
create waste then to have to clean it up later
in the process while it may have already caused
damage to the environment, humans and/or
wildlife. - 2. Design safer chemicals
- This principle is aimed at designing products
that are safe, non-toxic and efficient. - 3. Find safer ways to make synthetic products
- This principle is focused on how we make
molecules and materials. The goal is to reduce
the hazard of the chemicals that are used to
make a product - 4. Maximise atom economy
- This principle states that it is best to use all
the atoms in a process and, and for those atoms
that are not used end up as waste. There are
atom economy calculations that are used to
estimate how many atoms are needed to try and
prevent the waste.
512 Principles of Green Chemistry Explained
- 5. Use safer solvents
- This principle focuses on creating products so
that they use less hazardous solvents (such as
water). We use solvents regularly in our daily
lives (cleaning products, nail polish, cosmetics,
etc.) and in the chemistry laboratory, so it is
important that they dont cause harm to our body.
- 6. Use renewable reactants
- This principle seeks to shift our dependence on
petroleum and to make products from renewable
materials that can be gathered and/or harvested
locally. - 7. Maximise energy efficiency
- This principle focuses on creating products and
materials in a highly efficient manner and
reducing the energy associated with creating the
products, therefore reducing associated pollution
and cost. - 8. Avoid chemical derivatives
- This principle aims to simplify the process and
to look at natural systems in order to design
products in a simplified manner.
612 Principles of Green Chemistry Explained
- 9. Use catalysts whenever possible
- In a chemical process catalysts are used in
order to reduce energy requirements and to make
reactions happen more efficiently in speed
(time). Another benefit of using a catalyst is
that generally small amounts are required to
have an effect and, if the catalyst is truly a
green catalyst it will have little to no
toxicity and it will be able to be used
over-and-over again in the process. - 10. Design biodegradable products
- This principle seeks to design products in such
a way so that they perform their intended
function and then, when appropriate, will
degrade into safe, harmless by-products when they
are disposed of. - 11. Use real-time analysis to prevent pollution
- This process is similar to what chemists have
to do when they make products. How long do they
allow the reaction to run for? When do they know
it will be done? If there was a way to see inside
the reaction and to know exactly when it would
be done, then this would reduce waste in the
process and ensure that your product is done and
is the right product that you intended to make. - 12. Minimise the potential for accidents
- This principle focuses on safety for the
worker and the surrounding community where an
industry resides. It is better to use materials
and chemicals that will not explode, light on
fire, ignite in air, etc. when making a product.
When creating products, it is best to avoid
highly reactive chemicals that have potential to
result in accidents.
7A brief explanation of exactly how the company
or organization used Green Chemistry.
- Fujitsu have made a biodegradable notebook,
called the Fujitsu LifeBook. Instead of using
plastics made from petroleum they have made
chassis (the main framework) derived from
cornstarch. However this method does cost a lot
more than the petroleum plastic, but the Earth
benefits from the cornstarch and that is one of
the main goals of green chemistry.
8How Green Chemistry was used by the company or
organization. (Which principles apply to this
design).
- Green Chemistry was used by the following ways
- Principle 2 Designing safer chemicals. Fujitsu
is doing this by using natural products,
(cornstarch) to make the plastic, instead of
using products that arent natural such as
petroleum. - Principle 3 Finding a safer way to make
synthetic products. Fujitsu is doing this by
using plastics derived from cornstarch instead of
petroleum plastics. Minimizing the toxic
chemicals produced. - Principle 10 Fujitsu have designed a
biodegradable product that will break down 80 or
more in 21 days.
9The benefits to the company and to the
environment that arose from the Green Chemistry
initiative.
- Fujitsu benefits from making natural,
biodegradable products like the LifeBook in ways
such as they are recognized as a company that is
taking action to help save our planet from
pollution. - It is also a lot safer for their employers due
to the natural products minimizing the toxic
chemicals produced.
10Bibliography
- Book Science Dimensions 4
- Date accessed 27/07/2012
- Website http//www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPreventio
n/GreenChemistryInitiative/upload/FAQs_greenchem.p
df - Date accessed 27/07/2012
- Website http//www.pcworld.com/article/136247/fuj
itsu_laptop_with_biodegradable_chassis.html - Date accessed 27/07/2012
- Website http//www.ias.ac.in/0890B4A6-5234-4944-9
233-1F15F2E94CD9/FinalDownload/DownloadId-2005D995
EFD2BBBA054D7779E630401C/0890B4A6-5234-4944-9233-1
F15F2E94CD9/resonance/November2008/p1041-1048.pdf
- Date accessed 2/08/2012
- Website http//www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/pubs/ab
out_gc.html - Date accessed 2/08/2012
- Website http//greenchem.uoregon.edu/Pages/GreenC
hemGlossary.php - Date accessed 2/08/2012
- Website http//news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-97618
53-1.html
11Bibliography
- Website http//www.epa.gov/sciencematters/june201
1/principles.htm - Date accessed 9/08/2012