Sustainable Chemical Process Development through an Integrated Framework

Chapter 17 - Biocatalysis for Industrial Production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

Biocatalysis is constantly providing novel options for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In addition to drug development and manufacturing, biocatalysis also plays a role in drug discovery and can support many active ingredient syntheses at an early stage to build up entire scaffolds in a targeted and preparative manner. Recent progress in recruiting new enzymes by genome mining and screening or adapting their substrate, as well as product scope, by protein engineering has made biocatalysts a competitive tool applied in academic and industrial spheres. This is especially true for the advances in the field of nonribosomal peptide synthesis and enzyme cascades that are expanding the capabilities for the discovery and synthesis of new bioactive compounds via biotransformation. Here we highlight some of the most recent developments to add to the portfolio of biocatalysis with special relevance for the synthesis and late-stage functionalization of APIs, in order to bypass pure chemical processes.

Chapter 17 - Systematic MultiObjective Life Cycle Optimization Tools Applied to the Design of Sustainable Chemical Processes

Chemical manufacture is a significant value-added industry in both local and global economies. Along with highly relevant issues such as unsustainable process design, energy consumption, and waste generation linked with the sector, societal issues relating to chemical product health and safety are part of the greater sustainability concerns. There is a need to design a sustainable strategy while ensuring economic stability at the corporate level. Hence, this paper presents a methodological proposal of integrated modelling approach for sustainable chemical process design at early design process. The step of achieving this objective is separated into several parts. The first step is to classify parameters from established tools as a benchmark for sustainability metrics. The next step is to transform quantification value of triple bottom line impact (economic, environment and social) to normalized weightage by using Multi Criteria Analysis. The final stage is to develop alternative in terms of technical optimization of process design. The implementation multimodal Multi Criteria Analysis and optimized process design exhibits significant improvements in sustainability impacts according to the waste reduction (WAR) algorithm.

Design and optimization of an inherently safe and sustainable process for the separation of anisole

This paper aim to conduct a pilot study in India process industry for sustainable machining process design. A survey questionnaire was framed at five point likert type scale. Respondents were asked to five elements related to sustainable machining process design (SMPD) Fifty responses was collected from various process industries. Simple statistics mean, standard deviation, correlation and t test is applied for the analyse survey responses. It is evident that the Energy efficiency during the process, Vegetable based cutting fluid and machining process utilisation are more emphasised by the companies and the other factors like Waste minimization and cryogenic machining require more focused on it. One sample t test it is evident that Energy efficiency during the process (SMPD5) (t = 6.194) is the most important factor which is highly adopted by the process industry in practice.

The School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University is home to one of the largest academic Mechanical Design groups in the country. As a leader in undergraduate design education, we have been able to keep in touch with a large group of mechanical design graduates, and as such are capable of assessing how students retain information learned in undergraduate coursework to see how this understanding is employed in real-world engineering practice. However, the principles governing the design of sustainable products and processes are relatively novel and are only now being integrated into the undergraduate and graduate mechanical design curriculum. It is our hypothesis that particular means of learning and understanding sustainable design — via lectures, homework assignments, design projects, and the use of various sustainability-related LCA tools — will enable the highest retention of sustainable design understanding, and a higher likelihood that this sustainable design knowledge will be propagated into design practice in industry. Multiple curricular studies that explore dissemination and retention of sustainable design skills are being explored, including a junior-level introductory mechanical design course and a graduate level sustainable product development course. In the junior-level course, baseline sustainability knowledge is tested by allowing students to make sustainable design decisions by applying varied skill sets, including general principles, a list of sustainable design guidelines, and an innovative online survey (The GREEn Quiz). The graduate-level course, which employs sustainable design principles within a larger product development architecture, will capitalize on more “expert” knowledge. Future work will also be discussed, including planned validation studies and curriculum improvements, as well as the means of quantifying the retention of sustainable design information.

Ibuprofen Is Equivalent to Acetaminophen-Codeine for Acute Pain Relief From for Extremity Injury in Kids

Integration of life cycle assessment software with tools for economic and sustainability analyses and process simulation for sustainable process design

Integrating Market Models and Price Effects in a Multiscale Sustainable Process Design Framework

Sustainable process synthesis, design, and analysis: Challenges and opportunities

Sustainable Process Synthesis-Intensification

This paper presents a review of approaches that may be useful for the selection of solvents in the early stages of process development for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Characteristics of the methodologies and their applicability in early stages are explored. Early stages of development are recognised as ideal for detecting benefits and issues regarding the use of solvents. The “system” concept is introduced for the evaluation and selection of solvents in pharmaceutical processes; this concept does not yet seem to be widely utilised within the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. System analysis is considered an important tool for viewing solvent selection from a holistic perspective. Hence, approaches suitable for the early stages of development and considering a holistic perspective might deliver more sustainable processes. The evolution of the synthesis of Ibuprofen API is used to illustrate this concept.

This article explores the role of digital fashion as an innovative tool for sustainable design and garment production. The primary aim is to examine how digital fashion can help reduce the use of natural resources, minimize waste generated in traditional production processes, and promote environmentally responsible approaches to fashion development. Today, the fashion industry is widely recognized as one of the leading contributors to environmental degradation, particularly due to its heavy consumption of materials, high energy usage, and generation of non-biodegradable waste. However, advances in digital technology have introduced new tools that can support more sustainable design processes in the fashion industry. This study focuses on the potential of digital fashion, especially through the use of 3D design software such as CLO3D, which enables the creation of realistic virtual prototypes. These digital models can replace the need for physical samples in the early design stages, significantly reducing material usage and production waste. The main objective of this research is to evaluate how digital fashion technology can support sustainable design practices, particularly by shortening design timelines, lowering costs, and reducing material consumption. Additionally, the study considers how digital fashion enhances the ability to present design concepts in realistic and engaging ways. To investigate this, the article presents a case study on the design of a football uniform using CLO3D, a widely adopted 3D software in the international fashion industry. Football uniforms are a useful subject due to their need for precision in terms of proportion, pattern accuracy, and responsiveness to body movement. Therefore, the use of 3D software in this context clearly demonstrates the capabilities of digital fashion. The findings show that applying CLO3D in the design process significantly reduces redundant steps typically involved in traditional prototyping. Designers can accurately simulate fabric properties such as elasticity, folds, and how garments move in response to body motion. Results from this experiment reveal that digital fashion can generate outputs that closely resemble physical products, while also offering immediate flexibility to adjust design elements—such as color, material, or pattern—without the need to physically produce multiple sample versions. This allows for tangible reductions in time, cost, and resource use throughout the design and production process. From the case study, three main advantages of digital fashion are highlighted: (1) The ability to reduce the need for physical prototypes by relying on highly accurate digital garment simulations; (2) The reduction of costs and waste associated with iterative sampling and design refinement common in traditional methods; and (3) The acceleration of the design, testing, and revision cycle, enabling more agile responses to market demands—especially important in commercial fashion contexts where designs change rapidly by season. Nevertheless, the article also discusses current limitations of digital fashion. These include the costs associated with acquiring and maintaining necessary software and hardware, the complexity of learning the technology for designers unfamiliar with digital tools, and certain technical constraints such as the inability to fully replicate physical properties like texture, tactile sensation, or the effects of actual sewing techniques. Despite these limitations, digital fashion still demonstrates strong potential for both academic exploration and practical application, especially in equipping new-generation designers with innovative skills. Moreover, digital fashion serves as a foundational knowledge base for integrating related technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). Based on the findings, this study recommends incorporating digital fashion into fashion design curricula at the higher education level, to better prepare future designers to adapt to the evolving global landscape of sustainable fashion. Furthermore, collaboration among academia, industry, and technology sectors should be promoted in order to mainstream digital fashion practices in commercial garment production. Establishing a new ecosystem that supports the widespread adoption of digital fashion could serve as a key mechanism to drive the fashion industry toward long-term sustainability, benefiting both economic and environmental dimensions.

Biocatalysts represent an efficient, highly selective and greener alternative to metal catalysts in both industry and academia. In the last two decades, the interest in biocatalytic transformations has increased due to an urgent need for more sustainable industrial processes that comply with the principles of green chemistry. Thanks to the recent advances in biotechnologies, protein engineering and the Nobel prize awarded concept of direct enzymatic evolution, the synthetic enzymatic toolbox has expanded significantly. In particular, the implementation of biocatalysts in continuous flow systems has attracted much attention, especially from industry. The advantages of flow chemistry enable biosynthesis to overcome well-known limitations of “classic” enzymatic catalysis, such as time-consuming work-ups and enzyme inhibition, as well as difficult scale-up and process intensifications. Moreover, continuous flow biocatalysis provides access to practical, economical and more sustainable synthetic pathways, an important aspect for the future of pharmaceutical companies if they want to compete in the market while complying with European Medicines Agency (EMA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and green chemistry requirements. This review focuses on the most recent advances in the use of flow biocatalysis for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), pharmaceuticals and natural products, and the advantages and limitations are discussed.