Number
134-EN
Section
General Section
Use
Sector
Manufacture of bulk, large scale chemicals (including petroleum products)
Manufacture of fine chemicals
Function
Oxidizing agent
Process
Chemical production or refinery in closed process without likelihood of exposure or processes with equivalent containment conditions.
Chemical production or refinery in closed continuous process with occasional controlled exposure or processes with equivalent containment conditions
Product category
laboratory chemicals
Application
Production of pharmaceutical products
Abstract
Mercaptans (thioalcohols) and sulphur compounds are by-products in some pharmaceutical production processes. These compounds are toxic and smell very bad. For neutralisation the company previously used hydrogen peroxide, which is a very reactive chemical. Now they are using sodium hypochlorite instead.
Substituted substances
Hydrogen peroxide
CAS No. 7722-84-1 EC No. 231-765-0 Index No. 008-003-00-9
Chemical group
Peroxides
Classification: hazard statements
H271 May cause fire or explosion; strong oxidiser
H332 Harmful if inhaled
H302 Harmful if swallowed
H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage
Alternative Substances
Sodium hypochlorite
CAS No. 7681-52-9 EC No. 231-668-3 Index No. 017-011-00-1
Chemical group
Sodium compounds; hypochlorites
Classification: hazard statements
H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage
H318 Causes serious eye damage
H400 Very toxic to aquatic life
H410 Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects
Reliability of information
Evidence of implementation: there is evidence that the solution was implemented and in use at time of publication
Reason substitution
ecotoxicity
physical hazards
other reasons
Hazard Assessment
Substance to be substituted: Sodium hypochlorite is corrosive. Hydrogen peroxide is harmful if swallowed and is harmful if inhaled, causes severe skin burns and eye damage and may cause fire or explosion (strong oxidiser). Alternative substance: The alternative is corrosive as well and is much less reactive. Hydrogen peroxide is, however, very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects and causes serious eye damage, causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
Description of Substitution
During the production of pharmaceuticals several by-products are formed. Among others, there are hazardous gases like mercaptans (thioalcohols) and other sulphur compounds. These are poisonous, smell very bad and must be neutralised. In order to neutralise mercaptan and sulphur gases the Danish company added hydrogen peroxide, which is that it is a highly reactive substance that can release oxygen hereby producing an overpressure. This overpressure can be a risk to human health and the equipment if the process gets out of control. Moreover the reaction generates a lot of heat and the cooling process, to avoid explosion, is energy consuming. In addition, hydrogen peroxide is corrosive. Moreover it was difficult for the company to buy hydrogen peroxide, because it requires an approval by the Danish authorities prior to ordering the hydrogen peroxide due to the explosive potential of the chemical. Therefore the company started to look for alternatives. They combined their knowledge about organic chemical processes with a systematic review of well-defined and publicly available “unit operations” for the chemical industry. Hydrogen peroxide was substituted by sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite is as efficient as hydrogen peroxide, but it is not as reactive as hydrogen peroxide. Sodium hypochlorite is, in contrast to hydrogen peroxide , very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Therefore the company now has to modify their waste water treatment.
Case/substitution evaluation
The alternative is not included in the database of hazardous substances according to SUBSPORTplus screening criteria (SDSC), however according to the hazard statements it holds problematic properties. Among others, the environmental risks have to be adequately controlled. Therefore, further research is needed to replace this substance in the future.
State of implementation
Full capacity
Date and place of implementation
1988, Denmark
Availability ofAlternative
On the market
Type of information supplier
User
Contact
http://www.leo-pharma.com www.leo-pharma.com
Date, reviewed
December 11, 2020