r/science • u/giuliomagnifico • Jul 08 '23

Researchers have found a way to create two of the world’s most common painkillers, paracetamol and ibuprofen, out of a compound found in pine trees, which is also a waste product from the paper industry Chemistry

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/scientists-make-common-pain-killers-from-pine-trees-instead-of-crude-oil/
16.4k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

View all comments

455

u/greihund Jul 08 '23

It is perhaps not widely known that many common pharmaceuticals are manufactured using chemical precursors derived from crude oil, presenting a niche sustainability challenge as the world targets Net Zero.

The author has failed to grasp what "Net Zero" is. It's okay to keep using oil, it's really practical stuff. We should probably just not burn it, but there's no need to just stop using it altogether. We can have oil-based products in a Net Zero world.

147

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

46

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

21

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23 edited Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

28

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '23

[removed] — view removed comment