Driving Decarbonization in Pharma Through Optimized Solvent Recovery
Innovation Pitch
2026-05-27 | 05:00 PM - 05:15 PM | The Innovation Corner
Abstract
Decarbonizing API production requires addressing the high energy intensity of solvent recovery processes. Solvents such as Ethanol, methanol, IPA, DMF are essential for the reaction, yet their recovery and purification remain among the most energy‑intensive steps.
Different process technologies can be applied to solvent recovery, and the most suitable option depends on solvent composition and required purity. Among the available technologies, VoltaSplit™ electrified distillation enables high efficiency by operating with minimal steam demand and requiring only modest electricity for the vapor recompression unit that drives the separation.
In a representative case study for API production, an aqueous stream containing 30% ethanol is purified to obtain near-azeotropic ethanol. The system requires no steam during normal operation, it minimizes the CO₂ footprint of the process, and it delivers notable OPEX savings using electrified distillation.
