Assessing the sustainability of chemical processes in terms of environmental, economic, and social aspects, especially during the early stages of development, is crucial to designing sustainable manufacturing routes. In this study, we compared the sustainability performance of an electrochemical route for synthesizing noroxymorphone, an intermediate in the synthesis of opioid antagonists, with that of a conventional process. For that purpose, we followed the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework of the European Commission and applied selected sustainability indicators from the literature. Compared to the conventional procedure, the electrochemical process has the potential to offer advantages in all three dimensions of sustainability, primarily due to the lower environmental impacts of the employed reagents in the upstream supply chain and their reduced hazards during the production process. Furthermore, it was found that further steering the electrochemical process toward sustainability is possible by optimizing the solvents and reducing the use of hazardous reagents.

中文翻译：

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早期化学工艺设计期间的可持续性评估：比较两种合成去甲氧吗啡酮的不同方法


从环境、经济和社会方面评估化学过程的可持续性，尤其是在开发的早期阶段，对于设计可持续的制造路线至关重要。在这项研究中，我们比较了合成去甲氧吗啡酮（阿片类药物拮抗剂合成中间体）的电化学路线与传统工艺的可持续性性能。为此，我们遵循欧盟委员会的安全和可持续设计 （SSbD） 框架，并应用了从文献中选定的可持续性指标。与传统程序相比，电化学工艺有可能在可持续性的所有三个维度上提供优势，这主要是由于上游供应链中所采用的试剂对环境的影响较小，并且减少了它们在生产过程中的危害。此外，研究发现，通过优化溶剂和减少有害试剂的使用，可以进一步引导电化学过程走向可持续性。