Reducing solvent usage, emissions, and waste

Manufacturing processes generally meet environmental requirements, but a restless search is always going on to improve them (e.g., reducing solvent usages and waste volumes). I recall one such effort in the manufacture of albuterol (salbutamol), wherein work to introduce a simpler, environmentally beneficial and lower-cost process led to air emissions problems which spurred further beneficial changes. 

There are two approaches to minimizing waste. The traditional approach is to reduce waste at the end of the pipeline. Decreased solvent usage, decreased solvent emissions, and better solvent recovery and recycling are included in this approach. With higher-boiling solvents, a smaller emission burden may be expected, but recovery by distillation becomes more costly. 

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