Environmentally friendly

Sustainability has been a key driver behind the decision of DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals to invest in green enzymatic processes. By replacing traditional chemical processes with enzymatic processes a substantial contribution is made to sustainability, especially with respect to the environment. With the improvements in environmental performance resulting from the introduction of DSMPureActives™ processes, DSM’s license to operate has been further guaranteed.

The production processes of DSMPureActives hardly make use of solvents and contain very few process steps compared to the chemical processes.

Abolishment of solvents
The most important improvement from sustainability point of view is the abolishment of the use of aggressive solvents. In the old process, these solvents were necessary during the reaction and to purify the product after the reaction. In the new process, enzymes are used to couple the side chain to the 6-APA or 7-ADCA molecule and all this occurs without using solvents or aqueous media.

Less process steps
Another environmental improvement can be assigned to the reduction in process steps. As a rule of thumb you can say that every process step requires energy and other auxiliaries. The less steps a process is built up of, the less the burden on the environment. Thanks to the enzymatic process, the number of process steps can be drastically reduced. For Cephalexin the number of steps has been reduced with more than 50%.

Extensive research on the environmental impact of enzymatic processes has been conducted by the “Öko institut”. This is an objective scientific institution based in Germany, specialized in environmental research in the field of applied ecology. Their study focused on the environmental impact of green (biotechnological) production routes compared to chemical production routes. The results of the Öko-study have been an important source for the information you will find on our website.

By buying DSMPureActives™, you can be assured that you are buying products made with dedication to sustainability and the highest care for the environment.