BIOBASED CHEMICALS
markets once they have been purified . These include pharmaceutical grade bio-acetic and bio-lactic acid . Ripcell aims to form cross-sector alliances with environmental and economic benefits for several sectors .
Implementing sustainable practices in managing effluent and wastewater is essential for the whisky industry to minimise its environmental footprint and comply with regulatory standards . Ripcell also collaborates with whisky partners to tackle these pain points , improving on-site water stewardship and providing feedstock for their biogas plants . The remaining green biochemical products from our process are then purified in preparation to enter high value chemical markets .
Environmental benefits
The biochemicals Ripcell produces are designed to reduce or eliminate harmful environmental and health impacts . They are produced through processes that minimise waste and energy consumption , using sustainable resources . The adoption of green chemicals in general is a crucial step
Figure 1 – Ripcell GWP & CO 2 equivalent vs . industry baseline
towards achieving sustainability and mitigating the negative effects of industrial activities on the environment .
These products also align well with the UN ’ s 17 Sustainability Goals . An independent life-cycle analysis report shows that they have a negative global warming potential ( GWP ), as they remove carbon-based emissions from the environment , acting as a carbon sink , with a CO 2 eq of -1.5kg for every kg of material produced ( Figure 1 ).
These environmental savings are achieved thanks to the avoidance of petrochemical raw materials , low energy consumption and waste valorisation through resourceefficiency , offering customers benefits in terms of supply chain security , environmentally friendly end-products and reduced Scope 3 emissions for multiple value chains .
Versatile applications
Acetic and lactic acids have various uses across multiple industries . In the food industry , they are commonly used as preservatives , pH regulators and flavouring agents . In the pharmaceutical industry , both acids are used in the production of medications , such as vaccines , antibiotics and antiseptics . They are also key ingredients in skincare products , as exfoliants to improve skin texture and appearance . Overall , they play a crucial role in a wide range of applications due to their versatile properties .
Recent R & D results also show that Ripcell ’ s bio-acetic and bio-lactic acids can be employed as efficient leaching agents in the recycling of electric vehicle batteries , delivering over 98 % recovery for lithium , cobalt and nickel derived from experiments performed on an end-of-life , commercially available long-range SUV battery . These results will form part of Ripcell ’ s growth plans into the future , as they aim to add value to multiple sectors .
Outlook
Ripcell ’ s vision involves forming global alliances with distilleries across the Americas and into the East while fuelling growing biochemical market demand and removing 500,000 tonnes / year of greenhouse gas emissions . We are calling on businesses to demand more sustainable and ethically sourced alternatives to their existing raw materials .
The chemical industry has faced challenging market conditions in recent years , due to COVID , geopolitical instabilities , disruptions to trade routes and economic volatilities in terms of petrochemical and energy prices . We believe that our operations offer stability in the face of these market insecurities as we avoid the traditional supply chain structures that most chemical manufacturers rely on , offering a more simplistic way of production with no waste or hazardous by-products . ●
Dr Eve Wildman
CTO
RIPCELL
J j eve . wildman @ ripcell . co www . ripcell . co . uk
76 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981