CHE.04 – PrintRX Solutions: The Future of Medicine

• Emina Abdic
• Ranim Bajes
• Andrew Murillo
• Astrid Vargas

Acetylsalicylic acid, otherwise known as aspirin, is one of the most frequently used medicines in the world that aids with body inflammation and body aches. This project aims to create a plant that produces 51 MM pounds of aspirin per year along with 5 MM pounds of methane gas. This process begins with acetone undergoing decomposition into methane and ketene. The resulting ketene is then mixed with a recycled stream of salicylic acid. Afterwards, the streams are composed of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, along with the previously listed materials. Separations are performed through distillation columns and flash drums to achieve the optimal parameters. By designing a crystallization process, solid aspirin is produced thereby achieving our desired product. This method is complemented using a continuous stirred tank reactor. Lastly, drying is required to obtain pure aspirin in a powder format for successful 3D printing. The purity of our process is 99%. Along with this impressive milestone, our plant plans to generate aspirin in a sustainable way since pharmaceutical production generates large amounts of waste from plastic packages and chemical reaction by-products. We aim to tackle this issue with abiding by the 3D stereolithography printing method where aspirin is produced in a powder format and inserted into a cartridge. Our continuous aspirin production method will be accessible to society where the 3D printers will be in hospitals and pharmacies that will generate any medication. Our plant is operating at 20 years with an impressive revenue of 233 MM with a net present value (20 years) of $760 MM. Our top-quality aspirin produces a revenue of 230 MM while methane gas generates about 3 MM.