Evolution of effluents
Pharma industry is a place where ‘discovery’ is always a buzz word. Last few decades saw many new types of drugs being introduced in the market. Different types of chemicals are regularly used to develop these drugs. Use of variety of chemicals also made effluents from the pharma industry more complex and difficult to treat.
Ashutosh Jain COO, Venus Pharma Gmbh CEO, Unit I & II, Venus Remedies |
Ashutosh Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Venus Pharma Gmbh and Chief Executive Officer, Unit I & II, Venus Remedies, looks after one of the most sensitive type of drugs i.e. injectables. He says that in the pharma sector high quantum of effluents are generated in the bulk drug industry wherein chemicals in huge quantities are processed. He adds, “With passage of growth in the Indian pharma industry, new molecules and new chemicals are coming in use. We being a developing nation the ecological impact of these chemicals or drugs are generally not studied. For example, in developed nations before launching any new drug it is mandatory to have the impact on fungi and over all ecological system if the drug traces are drained in earth or waste water.”
In India, environment-related issues are perhaps not taken that seriously thoughpharma industry deals with life and death of the final consumer and is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. It is given that activities happening in this industry are going to impact people and the environment. According to Jain, in India focus is restricted to the effects of drugs on human body and how it reacts to them, in short, pharmaco-kinetic and pharmaco-dynamic studies. Jain highlights, “In this process, the concern about environment takes a back seat. That is why not much importance has been given by the industry to the effluents. The only objective is to comply with the norms as prescribed by Pollution Control Board.”
Dr B V Sivakumar Chief Scientific Officer, Enaltec Labs |
Though with the growth of the pharma industry the menace of the pharma effluents has also increased, according to Dr BV Sivakumar, Chief Scientific Officer, Enaltec Labs, many countries had proper sewage systems in place for the effluents generated from industries, as early in the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. He informs, “The effluent treatment processes were basically by physical, chemical and thermal methods which were not cost-effective, and were less efficient. Proper channelling and treatment processes are mandatory to get rid of the adverse effects of these effluents on the environment.”
Current technologies
Pharma industry has showed tremendous technological growth in terms of research, manufacturing practices etc. On the other hand, as far as effluent treatment is concerned it largely remained conventional in its approach. Moreover, to make things even more complicated, regulations in India to protect the environment from various effluent contaminants never proved adequate.
Sivakumar provides details about the technologies that are being commonly used in the treatment of pharma effluents. He says, “Conventionally, Effluent Treatment Process (ETP) includes a series of treatments, such as pretreatment, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments. Pretreatment was previously a part of primary treatment process but later became a separate process where a bar screen, usually an automated mechanically raked one or a manually cleaned one is used to remove large objects. This is performed to prevent blockage of pipes or moving parts of the treatment plants. During the primary treatment process, pretreated effluent is passed through primary sedimentation tanks where settling of sludge and skimming off of grease and oil occurs. Effluents are neutralised and flash mixed to start coagulation and sedimentation which is later separated by settling tanks.”
Sivakumar adds, “Secondary treatments are employed to substantially degrade the biological content of the effluent. Contamination from short chain organic molecules, sugars, fats are suitably removed during this process. Secondary treatment involves majorly attached-growth and suspended-growth systems. Attached-growth system has been further developed into moving bed bio-film reactors (MBBR). Suspended-growth system provides higher removal rates as compared to the attached-growth system.”
Sivakumar says further, “In recent times, secondary treatments involve aerobic-granular sludge technique, soil bio-technologies, biological aerated filters and rotating biological contractors. Final step of the secondary treatment stage involves settling of biological floc or filter material through a secondary clarifier to produce effluent containing low levels of organic material and suspended matter. Tertiary treatment is carried out to provide a final treatment stage to further improve the effluent quality before it is discharged to the receiving environment, such as sea, river, lake or ground.”
Mahaveer Bafna CMD, Bafna Pharmaceuticals |
“Besides ETP plant, Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) plant, Reverse Osmosis (RO), Ultra Filtration (UF), ozonisations are technologies that are more commonly used for effluent treatment/management in the pharma industry,” says Mahaveer Bafna, Chairman and Managing Director, Bafna Pharmaceuticals.
Technologically backward?
As already discussed, in India pharma effluents are generally being treated using conventional methods. There are varied opinions among industry veterans about domestic pharma players’ capability of using advanced technologies in the treatment of effluents. Many pharma players say that technologies for the treatment of pharma effluents are available in India. However, some of the industry players counter argue that during some specific events we are indeed dependent on foreign players for the technology.
“Yes, Indian pharma industry is well equipped with technologies to process effluents,” says Jain confidently.
While pointing out the specific case of bulk pharma, however, Bafna says, “Our own technologies are suitable but in critical sectors like bulk pharma we are still dependent on foreign support for the technology.”
Challenges
Pharma manufacturing units or research labs are not the only sources of effluents in the pharma industry. There are many other activities as well that generate effluents in the pharma unit.
Sivakumar says, “As industries scale up, their production strength and the types of drugs being dealt, with increase. Effluents generated from manufacturing operations, quality control, canteen, warehouse, engineering, and miscellaneous such as floor washes, equipment cleanings, utilities; pose a challenge for the treatment processes to be adopted due to the broad categories of various effluents generated. In recent times, the effluent treatment processes have evolved many fold to tackle the adverse effect on the environment caused due to effluents.”
Besides bulk drugs the major concern of pharma industry is effluents generated from hormones, anticancer drugs and antibiotic products.
Sundeep Bambolkar Jt. Managing Director, Indoco Remedies |
Sundeep V Bambolkar, Joint Managing Director, Indoco Remedies says, “In the case of bulk drug manufacturing process the effluents consist of more of solvent which are high in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and very difficult to treat. Secondly, due to demand in new products the effluents, properties change sometimes and then it becomes difficult to treat.” He adds that high volume of batch failure in bulk drug manufacturing process is also a factor.
He adds, “In the case of hormones, anticancer drugs and antibiotics, it is necessary that the active chemicals should be deactivated before being brought to the effluent treatment plant. If this is not done it will create problems to the surroundings. So it is important that we deactivate the same and also have a mechanism to check whether its been done.”
Ayurveda perspective
Ayurveda industry is an inseparable part of the Indian healthcare system. Though ayurvedic medicine manufacturers are not the direct users of chemicals, medicine manufacturing process does produce effluents in this industry as well. However, if industry experts are to be believed, the effluents generated from ayurvedic medicine industry are not as harmful to the level of the effluents from the modern medicine industry.
Shashank Sandu Managing Director, Sandu Pharma |
Shashank Sandu, Managing Director, Sandu Pharma informs, “Ayurvedic industry did not have any problems with respect to effluents as we use plant-based organic material. The only effluent generated is due to the use of boilers and generators. The ayurvedic industry uses processes which are developed indigenously and they are good enough to take care of the matter.”
Ayurvedic industry is using its waste to generate by-products like organic manure and vermiculture, which is perhaps not possible with the effluents from the pharma industry. However, to convert effluents from the ayurvedic industry into usable form, it is essential to have government support, which according to Sandu is lacking. With the government’s help modern technologies can be used in the treatment of effluents from the ayurvedic industry.
In the years to come
Jain stresses on natural processes for the treatment of effluents whereas, Bambolkar feels that the next step in the evolution would be minimal use of water in the manufacturing process. He says, “The treated water should be recycled to the maximum so that there is minimum load on the fresh water resources.”
Pharma industry works to keep human beings healthy. So obviously, they would not want people to fall sick due to effluents from their manufacturing units. It will not come as a surprise if in the future we get to see pharma companies investing more money in effluent management besides focusing on their core job of manufacturing life saving medicines.