Derzhavin University scientists have discovered a way to use expired medications to protect metals from corrosion.
Chemists of Derzhavin University have discovered that expired medications can effectively protect metals from corrosion. The medications' expiration dates do not affect their protective properties even after 29 years.
This applies to the use of expired medications in industrial processes—such as acid etching, cleaning, and descaling metals—as well as in oil production and refining, where hydrogen sulfide is the main corrosive agent.
"Expired medications are a cheap source of inhibitors, since their molecules contain the same heteroatoms and multiple bonds as the target organic inhibitors. Using expired medications as corrosion inhibitors helps solve the problem of their disposal and gives them a second life instead of being destroyed," notes Lyudmila Tsygankova, Doctor of Chemical Sciences and Professor at Derzhavin University.
According to Derzhavin University scientists, studies on the anticorrosive properties of expired drugs have been appearing in the scientific literature for over a decade, particularly internationally. They are considered environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and economical due to their low cost. Meanwhile, targeted organic inhibitors are hazardous to the environment, and legislation worldwide restricts their use.
Another reason for using expired drugs as metal corrosion inhibitors is that a huge number of expired medications, including antibiotics, are released into the environment and are found in large quantities in soils and especially in aquatic environments. Antibiotics inhibit algae growth and harm beneficial bacteria and other aquatic organisms. Antibiotic resistance genes emerge and are transmitted throughout the food chain, posing a long-term threat to both the environment and the health of living organisms.
An article on the inhibitory properties of expired Drotaverine was published in the International Journal of Corrosion and Scale Inhibition (Scopus, Q1). The effectiveness of other drugs—Anaprilin, Omeprazole, and Ceftriaxone—was demonstrated in the dissertation of Victoria Kuriato, a postgraduate student at Derzhavin University, which she defended in March of this year.
According to Derzhavin University scientists, the research results will help encourage the government to pass a law on the concentrated collection of expired medications for industrial use.
