Pharmaceuticals

1. PHARMACEUTICAL
WASTE WATER
Presented by
Dr. Yasir Mehmood
(PhD Pharmaceutics, MBA)

2. WHAT IS WASTE WATER?
Waste generated after washing equipments &
process lines.
Constitutes of solvents, Active Pharmaceutical
Ingredients (API), detergents, catalysts etc.
 This increases the toxicity of waste water and
makes it unfit for the survival of aquatic life
and, also incompetent for our use.
WHO Pharmaceutical guidelines ISBN 978 924 150208 5
United States Environmental Protection Agency

3. WHAT ARE ITS EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENT
They have intrinsic biological activity which may lead to fatal outcomes.
It leads to development of antibiotic resistant microbes.
It can disrupt human endocrine system.
Pharmaceutical products in water streams can lead to feminization in fishes.
Diclofenac was found to direct cause of vulture population.
Disturbs biosphere and eco-system.

4. PARAMETERS
Parameters Permissible limits Actual measures of samples
collected from pharmaceutical
industry wastewater
Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD)
200mg/L 1500mg/L-7000mg/L
Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD)
30mg/L-50mg/L 950mg/L-4000mg/L
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) 10mg/L 60mg/L-650mg/L
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 1500mg/L 1400mg/L-7500mg/L
pH 6.5-8 2-9
Oil & Grease 10mg/L 50mg/L-12000mg/L

5. WHAT TO DO NOW ?
Reduction of waste at the source.
Decomposition of Antibiotics (Cephalosporins)
Recycling of water.
Using filtration techniques to recover complex compounds.
Increased membrane processes to recover valuable products
based on the molecular size.
Application of recovery process at the source of pollutant
generation by deeply understanding the stages.

6. DIFFERENT TECHIQUES
Pharmaceutical
Company
Chemical
Synthesis
Cardiovascular
agents,
antihistamines,
CNS, stimulants
Fermentation
Plants
Steroids,
therapeutic,
nutrients,
vitamins
Formulation
Plants
Tablet, topical,
syrup, Injectable,
sterile,
manufacturing
Natural/Biological
product Extraction
Vitamins,
antibiotics,
enzymes etc

7. TREATMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE WATER AND
RECOVERY OF VALUABLE OR COMPLEX COMPOUNDS
Biological treatment
Aerobic
Activated
Sludge
Membrane Bioreactors
Anaerobic
Advanced Treatment
Membrane
technology
Activated carbon
Rotating Biological
contactors
Membrane
distillation
Advanced Oxidation
technique
Ozone/Hydrogen
peroxide treatment
Fenton's oxidation
treatment
Photo catalysis
Wet air oxidation
Electrochemical/Oxidation/
degradation
Ultrasound irradiation
Hybrid technologies
For Chemical
Synthesis Process
For Fermentation
Process

8. OZONE/HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGY
 Combining different technologies together .
 Efficient method
 Better output

9. It usually used for the effluent which contains high conc. of organics
(reagents, intermediates, final product).
A study on hybrid up-flow anaerobic sludge having following measured
values:
FOR CHEMICAL DEGRADATION
PROCESS
Pre-treatment
TDS 8500-9000mg/L
TSS 2800-3000mg/L
COD 13000-
15000mg/L
BOD 7000-7500mg/L
Post-treatment
TDS 1500mg/L
TSS 10mg/L
COD 200mg/L
BOD 30mg/L-50mg/L

10. OZONE/HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGY
OZONIZATION
For Chemical
Degradation
For electrochemical
Process

11. EFFLUENT WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM
Chemical
dosing pump
O3
Generator
Drain
Drench
Transfer Pump
Storage tank Sample
Point
Drain
Chemical tank

12. PREDICTED NO EFFECT
CONCENTRATION (PNEC)
Sr.
#
Product Active Batch Size
Lowest PNEC
(μg/L)
1 Safpime 1gm Injection Cefepime HCl 100,000 Inj. 0.5
2 Sonnet 500mg Injection
Ceftriaxone
Sodium
200,000 Inj. 0.03
3
BeCef Capsules &
BeCef DS 200mg/5mL
Powder for Oral Suspension
CefiximeTrihydrate 100,000 Inj. 0.06
4
GloriCef 500mg Injection
(IV/IM)
Cefotaxime Sodium 200,000 Inj. 0.1
5
DualCef 500mg Injection
(IM/IV)
Cefoparazone
Sodium &
Salbactum sodium
100,000 Inj. 0.5

13. Thank you!!