Environmental issues in process design

Abstract

Medichem is a pharmaceutical company located in Spain, Malta and China. In Celrà (Girona Prov.), Medichem has one of the manufacturing plants which is engaged in manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). The manufacture of API requires an R&D department whose function is the development of an API synthetic process. In order to make the synthetic process sustainable, it is necessary to take into account the principles of green chemistry and at the same time to evaluate all the steps from the point of view of pollution prevention. It is always better to prevent waste generation by applying reduction techniques than to apply end-of-pipe treatments. In connection with more specific aspects of the synthesis of an API, the type of reagent and solvent used and their quantities should also be considered. Laboratory-scale synthesis uses quantities 10,000 times smaller than the quantities used on an industrial scale, so the amount of raw material used in a manufacturing process is an important factor to consider. A good synthetic process will be one that has the maximum yield, the highest quality and the minimum amount of raw material consumption. The requirements derived from environmental legislation should also be evaluated during the synthetic process. In order to carry out a process on an industrial scale, it is necessary to comply with all the environmental regulations which are in force for our activity. This is why the R&D department must have a knowledge of the legal requirements necessary to develop a process in accordance with current legislation.

Keywords: Environmental aspects, design, green chemistry, sustainability.