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The 10 Chemical Innovations with the Highest Sustainability Potential

Reactive Extrusion – A Solventless Solution Problem: A large part of the chemical reactions takes place in solution. Organic solvents, which are harmful to the environment and to humans and animals when released, are often used. Goal: The more reactions that can be realized without toxic solvents, the better this is for sustainable chemistry. Solution: One approach is to completely dispense with solvents. Instead, the reactants are allowed to react with each other in an extruder. Existing reaction processes would have to be completely redesigned since the chemical industry is essentially designed for reactions in solution. Extrusion technology is already being used on a laboratory scale. For example, there are success stories* from the biotechnology company Amgen, which has succeeded in synthesizing so-called co-crystals for the treatment of chronic pain on a hundred-gram scale. And by British researchers who have synthesized organometallic networks (MOFs) using extrusion**. But the scale-up to industrial processes is still a challenge for the future. *Dominick Daurio, Karthik Nagapudi, Lan Li, Peter Quan and Fernando-Alvarez Nunez: „Application of Twin Screw Extrusion to the Manufacture of Cocrystals: Scale up of AMG 517-Sorbic acid cocrystal production”, Faraday Discussions, 7. Feb. 2014, Manuscript ID: FD-ART-12-2013-000153.R1 ** Crawford, D. E. et al.: “Synthesis by extrusion: continuous, large-scale preparation of MOFs using little or no solvent”; Chemical Science 2015, 6, 1645-1649. (Picture: Pixabay/MustangJoe) arrow back arrow forward Image Zoom
Reactive Extrusion – A Solventless Solution

Problem: A large part of the chemical reactions takes place in solution. Organic solvents, which are harmful to the environment and to humans and animals when released, are often used.

Goal: The more reactions that can be realized without toxic solvents, the better this is for sustainable chemistry.

Solution: One approach is to completely dispense with solvents. Instead, the reactants are allowed to react with each other in an extruder. Existing reaction processes would have to be completely redesigned since the chemical industry is essentially designed for reactions in solution. Extrusion technology is already being used on a laboratory scale. For example, there are success stories* from the biotechnology company Amgen, which has succeeded in synthesizing so-called co-crystals for the treatment of chronic pain on a hundred-gram scale. And by British researchers who have synthesized organometallic networks (MOFs) using extrusion**. But the scale-up to industrial processes is still a challenge for the future.

*Dominick Daurio, Karthik Nagapudi, Lan Li, Peter Quan and Fernando-Alvarez Nunez: „Application of Twin Screw Extrusion to the Manufacture of Cocrystals: Scale up of AMG 517-Sorbic acid cocrystal production”, Faraday Discussions, 7. Feb. 2014, Manuscript ID: FD-ART-12-2013-000153.R1
** Crawford, D. E. et al.: “Synthesis by extrusion: continuous, large-scale preparation of MOFs using little or no solvent”; Chemical Science 2015, 6, 1645-1649. (Picture: Pixabay/MustangJoe)
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