EcoPalladium project

Working towards a sustainable pharmaceutical industry by using palladium ecocatalysis to prevent the predicted shortage 

Impact

Palladium catalysis is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry. A recent study found that 32% of the pharmaceutical industry's new small molecules that are approved every year are based on palladium catalysis of the cross-coupling type. The pharmaceutical industry's dependence on palladium catalysis is a matter of great concern. 
The EcoPalladium project is based on a new interdisciplinary working process capable of solving the pharmaceutical industry's key problems and featuring a 'One-Health' approach.
The first stage enables environmentally-friendly recycling of strategic metals like palladium with its technology is based on the transformation of specific invasive plant species. This is an opportunity to support long-term intensive harvesting of these species while preserving the affected ecosystems. 
In the second stage, the biomaterials generated are transformed into high-performance tools for the sustainable synthesis of anti-cancer agents which is coupled with the use of demanding and ambitious environmental indicators. 
The technology used is based on an innovation - palladium ecocatalysis. The project's overall objective is to enhance access to costly drugs while working in a sober manner involving eco-design.

Limitations to overcome

The production costs of an active pharmaceutical ingredient are high because of the palladium catalyst and the work required to purify the active ingredient so it complies with pharmaceutical regulatory standards. The challenge for the researchers lies in developing an integrated sustainable approach to the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Potential applications have been identified in the field of oncology. 

Risks

The project's strategy represents a complete break with the conventional approach in conceptual and technological terms. Plant species selected for their root systems' capacity to sequester palladium rather than using raw materials of mining and metallurgical origin. Direct processing of the palladium-enriched plant powder leads to new nanostructured biomaterials with unprecedented compositions and structures that are totally unknown in organic synthesis. One of the major challenges for the project is to confirm the catalytic activity of these highly active and inexpensive palladium-based ecocatalysts for the synthesis of pharmaceutical targets.

Innovation potential

This overall approach has made it possible to develop an innovative way of working which involves challenging certain fixed or pre-established concepts in the field of palladium catalysis research. The success of this project could thus be the starting point leading to a new synergy between basic pharmaceutical chemistry research, industrial obstacles and the ecological transition. Alongside this, specific prospects are already emerging for studies of the ecological recycling of other strategic metals in other industrial sectors like electronics or green energy.