 "Six barriers to implementation of green chemistry in India")
Green chemistry is now moving in a phase where most people are not asking the question ‘Whether green chemistry or not?’ but are asking ‘how can we implement green chemistry?’. This means that relevance of green chemistry is no longer the question. Most stakeholders of chemical industry including industry, academic & research institutions, government & regulatory bodies, teachers & students, investors, etc are clear that green chemistry is a powerful tool that can lead us to a sustainable future.
At times when, industry is grappling with shrinking margins and increasing pressure to comply to environment norms, industry has started seeing green chemistry as a tool that can enable them to achieve both economical and environmental competitiveness. The academic and research institutions are seeing green chemistry as an area for research where they can do meaningful work and contribute towards solving problems which are so relevant in today’s context.
Teachers are beginning to see the relevance of teaching green chemistry to their students to have them be better prepared and equipped to deliver on the expectations of the industry and the society, after they are graduated. Students are beginning to see green chemistry as a very promising and growing field with potential to provide great career opportunities. Government and regulatory bodies have realised the role that green chemistry can play in improving the quality of air, water & soil for their people and for their country.
How to get started?
The next question which each of the above mentioned stakeholders of chemical industry is asking is: ‘How we can go about it or how we can accelerate the inclusion of green chemistry in our domain or in our area of accountability?’
ALSO READ: CEO, the change agent to achieve sustainability goals
As all stakeholders of chemical industry are taking steps towards implementing green chemistry, there are various barriers being encountered. To accelerate the implementation of green chemistry, it is important to first distinguish and confront these barriers. Once there barriers are distinguished, some new possibilities could be created to breakthrough these barriers/roadblocks.
As a green chemistry solution provider, while we engaged with the industry to develop, scale-up and commercialise green chemistry based technologies or solutions, we have had a first-hand experience of some of these barriers. Given below are some of the key barriers to implementation & industrialisation of green chemistry:
Barrier 1: Availability of green technologies
The green chemistry tool box (set of platform technologies, based on the principles of green chemistry & engineering, alternative to conventional synthetic chemistry based processes/chemistries) is still quite empty. We still do not have viable green chemistry based solution for many chemistries/processes like nitration, sulphonation, Friedel-Craft, etc. In the absence of such solutions, the industry does these chemistries with conventional ways, using huge quantities of acids, alkalies and other reagents. The low conversion, poor selectivity, low yield and huge quantities of effluent generated makes these processes quite undesirable but the industry does not have a viable option.
This is one barrier, which academic & research institutes can make significant contribution in overcoming. Creating some fundamental invention/innovation in these areas is a very relevant problem which academic & research institutes can work on.
Barrier 2: Scale-up and commercialisation
There are many inventions/innovations that have already been developed by various academic and research institutes and these are potential solutions for some of the environmental challenges faced by the industry. However, for whatever reasons, these solutions have not been pursued after lab scale development. Scale-up and commercialisation is a barrier because it calls for both academic/research institutes as well as industries to stretch themselves beyond their boundaries.
ALSO READ: Bio based chemicals gaining ground to reduce carbon footprint
Academic/research institutes need to make extra effort to customise the solutions and demonstrate the technical and commercial viability at a reasonable scale, to gain industry’s confidence. The industry needs to stretch themselves to take the risk that is associated with scale-up and commercialisation of new solutions.
Barrier 3: Connecting green chemistry solution providers to industry
There are many green chemistry solutions that are ready (with some start-up company, scientist/researcher, academic/research institutes, etc) and are proven. These are the most ‘low hanging fruits’.
One of the key barriers is the communication gap between the industry and such solution providers. This could be because the industry is in one part of the world and the solution provider is in other part of the world. This could also be due to insufficient marketing of the potential solution by the solution provider (usually the case with academic/research institutes who do not proactively market their solutions to the industry). This could also be due to industry not putting enough efforts to search and look around for solutions.
Barrier 4: Understanding of basics of green principles
One of the barriers in implementation of green chemistry is that our team of chemists & chemical engineers working on designing new products and processes have limited knowledge about the basic principles of green chemistry & engineering.
It is critical to ensure that our team has a workable knowledge about these principles. It is also important to introduce green chemistry in our curriculum so that the next generation of chemists & chemical engineers are shaped to provide ‘Green’ solution to existing processes.
Barrier 5: Green chemistry is costly, complex and not viable for SMEs?
Certain myths about green chemistry prevailing around us are also a barrier in implementation of green chemistry in the industry. Myths like green chemistry is good theory but practically not feasible, green chemistry is difficult & complex, it is not viable for small & medium size organisations, it requires huge resources, etc.
From our experience, we can say that green chemistry based solutions can be commercialised, even for small & mid-size pharma and fine chemical companies, with hardly any capital investment (in some cases breakeven period can be as low as 3 months). There could be some solutions that may take longer to develop and may require more resources but that is not true all the time.
Barrier 6: Regulatory hurdles
ALSO READ: Responsible Care: Ensuring safety beyond the factory walls
Many pharmaceutical companies have now started exploring green chemistry based routes of synthesis right during the initial phase of development of the molecule. This is a great initiative, however, looking at the vast number of generic drugs that are being manufactured through conventional synthetic chemistry based processes with high E-Factor, it is worth considering the possibility of creating a ‘fast track’ for regulatory approval of process changes involving green chemistry & engineering based solutions (of-course without compromising on any other aspects of evaluation procedures of FDA). It is also worth considering offering some discount on the costs involved for filing such changes. These would offer encouragement to the pharma & other industries to implement green chemistry.
Green is the future
According to the recent Pike report, Asia will have one third of the $100 billion green chemistry & engineering market by 2020, making it $ 30-40 billion industry. India, being one of the largest Asian markets, is rapidly adopting green chemistry & engineering practices due to the current changing realities such as: enforcement from regulatory bodies, societal awareness, industry realising the potential, government recognising its role, and so on. This shift in existing dynamics, opens up huge opportunities (of more than $ 5 billion) in the coming 5-10 years for entering the emerging green chemistry & engineering market in India.
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The author is the Founder-Director of Newreka Green Synth Technologies Pvt Ltd
At times when, industry is grappling with shrinking margins and increasing pressure to comply to environment norms, industry has started seeing green chemistry as a tool that can enable them to achieve both economical and environmental competitiveness. The academic and research institutions are seeing green chemistry as an area for research where they can do meaningful work and contribute towards solving problems which are so relevant in today’s context.
Teachers are beginning to see the relevance of teaching green chemistry to their students to have them be better prepared and equipped to deliver on the expectations of the industry and the society, after they are graduated. Students are beginning to see green chemistry as a very promising and growing field with potential to provide great career opportunities. Government and regulatory bodies have realised the role that green chemistry can play in improving the quality of air, water & soil for their people and for their country.
How to get started?
The next question which each of the above mentioned stakeholders of chemical industry is asking is: ‘How we can go about it or how we can accelerate the inclusion of green chemistry in our domain or in our area of accountability?’
ALSO READ: CEO, the change agent to achieve sustainability goals
As all stakeholders of chemical industry are taking steps towards implementing green chemistry, there are various barriers being encountered. To accelerate the implementation of green chemistry, it is important to first distinguish and confront these barriers. Once there barriers are distinguished, some new possibilities could be created to breakthrough these barriers/roadblocks.
As a green chemistry solution provider, while we engaged with the industry to develop, scale-up and commercialise green chemistry based technologies or solutions, we have had a first-hand experience of some of these barriers. Given below are some of the key barriers to implementation & industrialisation of green chemistry:
Barrier 1: Availability of green technologies
The green chemistry tool box (set of platform technologies, based on the principles of green chemistry & engineering, alternative to conventional synthetic chemistry based processes/chemistries) is still quite empty. We still do not have viable green chemistry based solution for many chemistries/processes like nitration, sulphonation, Friedel-Craft, etc. In the absence of such solutions, the industry does these chemistries with conventional ways, using huge quantities of acids, alkalies and other reagents. The low conversion, poor selectivity, low yield and huge quantities of effluent generated makes these processes quite undesirable but the industry does not have a viable option.
This is one barrier, which academic & research institutes can make significant contribution in overcoming. Creating some fundamental invention/innovation in these areas is a very relevant problem which academic & research institutes can work on.
Barrier 2: Scale-up and commercialisation
There are many inventions/innovations that have already been developed by various academic and research institutes and these are potential solutions for some of the environmental challenges faced by the industry. However, for whatever reasons, these solutions have not been pursued after lab scale development. Scale-up and commercialisation is a barrier because it calls for both academic/research institutes as well as industries to stretch themselves beyond their boundaries.
ALSO READ: Bio based chemicals gaining ground to reduce carbon footprint
Academic/research institutes need to make extra effort to customise the solutions and demonstrate the technical and commercial viability at a reasonable scale, to gain industry’s confidence. The industry needs to stretch themselves to take the risk that is associated with scale-up and commercialisation of new solutions.
Barrier 3: Connecting green chemistry solution providers to industry
There are many green chemistry solutions that are ready (with some start-up company, scientist/researcher, academic/research institutes, etc) and are proven. These are the most ‘low hanging fruits’.
One of the key barriers is the communication gap between the industry and such solution providers. This could be because the industry is in one part of the world and the solution provider is in other part of the world. This could also be due to insufficient marketing of the potential solution by the solution provider (usually the case with academic/research institutes who do not proactively market their solutions to the industry). This could also be due to industry not putting enough efforts to search and look around for solutions.
Barrier 4: Understanding of basics of green principles
One of the barriers in implementation of green chemistry is that our team of chemists & chemical engineers working on designing new products and processes have limited knowledge about the basic principles of green chemistry & engineering.
It is critical to ensure that our team has a workable knowledge about these principles. It is also important to introduce green chemistry in our curriculum so that the next generation of chemists & chemical engineers are shaped to provide ‘Green’ solution to existing processes.
Barrier 5: Green chemistry is costly, complex and not viable for SMEs?
Certain myths about green chemistry prevailing around us are also a barrier in implementation of green chemistry in the industry. Myths like green chemistry is good theory but practically not feasible, green chemistry is difficult & complex, it is not viable for small & medium size organisations, it requires huge resources, etc.
From our experience, we can say that green chemistry based solutions can be commercialised, even for small & mid-size pharma and fine chemical companies, with hardly any capital investment (in some cases breakeven period can be as low as 3 months). There could be some solutions that may take longer to develop and may require more resources but that is not true all the time.
Barrier 6: Regulatory hurdles
Newreka Green Synth Technologies' Nitesh Mehta
ALSO READ: Responsible Care: Ensuring safety beyond the factory walls
Many pharmaceutical companies have now started exploring green chemistry based routes of synthesis right during the initial phase of development of the molecule. This is a great initiative, however, looking at the vast number of generic drugs that are being manufactured through conventional synthetic chemistry based processes with high E-Factor, it is worth considering the possibility of creating a ‘fast track’ for regulatory approval of process changes involving green chemistry & engineering based solutions (of-course without compromising on any other aspects of evaluation procedures of FDA). It is also worth considering offering some discount on the costs involved for filing such changes. These would offer encouragement to the pharma & other industries to implement green chemistry.
Green is the future
According to the recent Pike report, Asia will have one third of the $100 billion green chemistry & engineering market by 2020, making it $ 30-40 billion industry. India, being one of the largest Asian markets, is rapidly adopting green chemistry & engineering practices due to the current changing realities such as: enforcement from regulatory bodies, societal awareness, industry realising the potential, government recognising its role, and so on. This shift in existing dynamics, opens up huge opportunities (of more than $ 5 billion) in the coming 5-10 years for entering the emerging green chemistry & engineering market in India.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
The author is the Founder-Director of Newreka Green Synth Technologies Pvt Ltd