Defossilization of pharmaceutical manufacturing
Lea Wollensack, Kristi L. Budzinski, Jan Backmann
Abstract
As is true with most established industries, a significant portion of the raw materials used in the pharmaceutical industry is of fossil origin, that is, essentially can be traced back to crude oil. The present article attempts to assess to which degree the modern manufacturing of pharmaceuticals depends on raw materials of fossil carbon compounds and which could be appropriate ways to increasingly switch to non-fossil sourcing to eventually completely defossilize the raw-material base of the sector.
Topics & Concepts
Raw materialFossil fuelPulp and paper industryBusinessNatural resource economicsCommerceEngineeringWaste managementEconomicsEcologyBiologyChemistry and Chemical EngineeringProcess Optimization and IntegrationExtraction and Separation Processes