Can green chemistry make life-saving medicine more sustainable?
Discover how Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff and his team are redesigning the production of artemisinin. This video explores how applying green chemistry principles to the photochemical route can reduce waste and lower costs in the global fight against malaria.
The video examines new, greener methods for producing artemisinin, an anti-malarial drug originally discovered in China. By utilizing the principles of green chemistry, researchers have developed two semi-synthetic processes that focus on solvent manipulation. This approach allows for catalyst recycling and a significant reduction in waste.
These advancements aim to create a purification-free process, which could lower both environmental and economic costs. Such innovations represent a potential contribution to the worldwide effort to combat malaria through more efficient and sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Source: Fighting Malaria with Green Chemistry (Artemisinin) - Periodic Table of Videos
