Transitioning from fossil to renewable raw materials in the manufacture of (all-rac)-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) Jonathan Medlock, Werner Bonrath, Ulla Létinois, René Stemmler, Bettina Wüstenberg DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, Switzerland (all-rac)-alpha-Tocopherol is the most biologically active compound within the vitamin E class of compounds. Its main application is in nutritional supplements for both animals and humans, with additional use as an antioxidant. The production volume is >75,000 t/a and DSM is one of the world’s leading manufacturers [1].
All main synthetic routes use a condensation reaction between TMHQ and isophytol to form alpha-tocopherol. In DSM’s process, the raw materials are m-cresol, acetone and acetylene which are all currently obtained from fossil-based sources. Due to the large production volumes, there is a huge interest in reducing the environmental impact of vitamin E/alpha-tocopherol production. Here we present our progress in transitioning from utilising fossil-based raw materials to building blocks from renewable sources. Options to produce both key building blocks (TMHQ and isophytol) “bio-based” will be discussed and compared. References 1. W. Bonrath et al., “Vitamin E (Tocopherols, Tocotrienol)” in Ullmann’s Encyclopaedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2021, DOI: 10.1002/14356007.o27_o07.pub2.
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