The pharmaceutical industry, like most manufacturing sectors, has a significant carbon footprint that must be addressed if the world is to make substantial progress in combating climate change. One major issue in the pharmaceutical sector is how many medications are created using chemical precursors derived from crude oil. This includes common over-the-counter pain relievers like paracetamol and ibuprofen, which are produced in large quantities and consumed by millions of people each year.
Now, chemists at the University of Bath have discovered a technique to make manufacturing far more environmentally friendly. Instead of relying on crude oil, the process is substituted with biorenewable β-pinene, a component of turpentine.
It could be more than paracetamol & ibuprofen
Even better, it is something that the paper industry generates as waste. Even though our communications are increasingly digital, the industry generates more than 350,000 metric tonnes each year.
It could be more than simply pain relievers. The researchers were also successful in synthesizing a variety of additional precursor compounds from turpentine, including 4-hydroxyacetophenone. This is a precursor to beta-blockers and salbutamol, which are used in asthma inhalers as well as perfume and cleaning goods.
“Using oil to make pharmaceuticals is unsustainable – not only is it contributing to rising CO₂ emissions, but the price fluctuates dramatically as we are greatly dependent on the geopolitical stability of countries with large oil reserves, and it is only going to get more expensive,” said Dr. Josh Tibbetts, a research associate from Bath University’s chemistry department.
“Instead of extracting more oil from the ground, we want to replace this in the future with a ‘bio-refinery’ model.”
The manufacturing technique is currently more expensive than employing a crude oil derivative, thus consumers will likely pay a “slightly higher” price for plant-derived medications.
The manufacturing technique is currently more expensive than employing a crude oil derivative, thus consumers will likely pay a “slightly higher” price for eco-friendly medications.
