• CSIR - Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute
  • G20
Organic chemicals including pharmaceuticals

Title of Process/ Know-how/ Product/Design/Equipment

A cost-effective and greener process for 3-methyl-5-phenylpentanol (mefrosol)

  • IPR
    IPR Status & Details:
  • IN 201611009444 A
Application/Uses/Problem being addressed
  • Mefrosol is an important perfumery chemical having fresh, rosy, floral odour and is used to give freshness and volume in both floral and citrus fragrances.
  • The existing industrial process utilizes toxic reagents and starting materials generating a large volume of industrial wastes.
  • The CSIR-CSMCRI’s technology is a greener alternative to the existing processes. The present method employs recyclable catalyst and benign starting materials with the formation of water as the only by-product, and is thus environment-friendly.
    • Salient Technical Features including Competing Features/ Impact

    Contrary to the existing protocols that employ toxic and corrosive reagents producing stoichiometric industrial wastes, the CSMCRI’s process has the following important features:

  • Currently no indigenous process for Mefrosol is available in India. CSMCRI’s Technology is the first chemical process for the production of Mefrosol with a high yield and industrially relevant purity.
  • The present process is very much clean giving water as the only by-product resulting in excellent yield and purity of the desired product Mefrosol.
  • Cost-competitive as it utilizes commercial grade starting materials, reagents and solvents.
  • The present process avoids any purification by chromatographic separation.
  • The present process has been scaled up to 1 Kg level.
  • The present process is consistently reproducible and hence, reliable to industrial applications.
    • TRL Level & Scale of Development:
    TRL 5

    Demonstration is ready at 1 Kg scale per batch with respect to Mefrosol.

    Business scope & opportunity (in terms of scale, cost, market etc.):

    India imports Mefrosol in large quantity for its use as a perfumery ingredient. The CSMCRI’s process is the first indigenous technology for Mefrosol in India and when commercialized, we anticipate that the process may lead to reduce import substitution in significant degree for Mefrosol.

    Environmental Considerations:

    All starting materials are non-toxic and non-corrosive in nature. A green, non-soot, industrially viable and cheap solvent is used in our process, thereby providing a cleaner environment. Water is produced as the only by-product, which can be removed via azeotropic distillation from the reaction mixture followed by cheap water pre-treatment at ETP. Hence the process is environment friendly

    Status of Licensing:
    Ready for licensing
    Status of Commercialization:
    Not applicable
    Major Raw Materials Needed

    Isoprenol, benzaldehyde

    Major Plant Equipment and Machinery Required
    1. Customized glass assembly equipped with two addition pumps,
    2. High pressure reactor, and 3. Glass/steel distillation units
    Techno-Economics

    Tentative price: Calculated cost based on existing 1 Kg level lab set up is ~₹2000/- Kg of Mefrosol. The price will be reduced when produced in industrial scale.

    Technology Package

    Process know-how for Mefrosol + Demonstration at industry site; Basic Engineering Package for this process is ready; License fee, royalty and other financial details are available on request.