Zero Liquid Discharge: A Pharma Industry Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
The pharmaceutical industry is under pressure to continually reduce its environmental footprint, particularly regarding freshwater usage and pollution. As the world confronts the issue of freshwater scarcity and the resulting threats to economic growth, water security, and ecosystem health, forward-thinking companies are adopting innovative approaches to minimize their ecological footprint.
Water is essential for our industry's daily operations and a key raw material in our products. This drives the need to reduce and reuse what the pharma industry consumes, thereby reducing wastewater discharge into the environment. Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology has emerged as a game-changer, offering a powerful tool for sustainable wastewater management.
In this post, we'll explore ZLD's transformative potential and how it can help drug manufacturers set new standards for sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry.
What is ZLD and How Will It Impact the Pharma Industry?
Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) is an ambitious and expensive wastewater management strategy aimed at significantly reducing and, in some cases, eliminating liquid waste discharged from a plant or facility.
Using ZLD, approximately 92% of water is recovered from the wastewater (effluent) for industrial reuse. This has helped reduce freshwater consumption for other activities, such as utilities. The remaining 8% is RO permeate, which is reduced to solid waste for disposal through Multiple-Effect Evaporation treatment.
Two primary methods exist for disposing of solid waste removed from manufacturing wastewater. One is to store it in evaporation ponds, but this method has unintended environmental impacts. The odors are potential pollutants, and there remains a possibility of leakage. The second method is disposing of solid waste in landfills, which may also have the unintended impact of chemicals leaching into groundwater, requiring additional resources to control and monitor.
While there are still unresolved issues, overall, implementing ZLD practices has had a positive environmental impact by significantly reducing the release of contaminated wastewater into bodies of freshwater or beaches worldwide. This is crucial both for the health of the environment and the health of the human population, as pollutants absorbed by fish and wildlife affect humans through the consumption of contaminated water, fish and wildlife.
Benefits of Implementing ZLD for Drug Manufacturers
As implementation and reporting on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs become ever more critical for the pharma industry, zero liquid discharge usage by contract manufacturing partners provides several benefits:
- Demonstrates environmental stewardship to customers and the community by avoiding discharging pharmaceutical compounds or other pollutants into the environment.
- Reduces consumption of already scarce freshwater by recycling treated wastewater for utilities like boilers and cooling towers.
- Ensures compliance with strict regulatory requirements around wastewater management, avoiding fines and process delays.
ZLD at Neuland Labs
At Neuland Labs, we're proud to be at the forefront of this water conservation movement. We began installing ZLD equipment at our manufacturing plants well over a decade ago, in 2009, to mitigate wastewater contaminants, recycle water, comply with regulatory requirements, and minimize any impact on the community. Today, all our manufacturing plants are equipped with ZLD technology.
All effluent is recycled and reused, ensuring no discharge to the environment. Neuland's dedicated Environment Laboratory provides regular wastewater testing and monitoring. Our ZLD systems reuse 94% of treated water for boilers and cooling towers while sending remaining waste for further treatment. The wastewater streams are categorized and separately treated using primary, secondary and tertiary treatment including stripping, evaporation, drying, and biological processes. Solid salts are sent to authorized cement plants for co-processing.
Neuland's ZLD plants operate 24/7 and undergo regular audits by regulatory authorities and our customers.
Our commitment to environmental stewardship aligns with our core values, and includes empowering our customers to build greener, more resilient supply chains. As part of our Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) program we consistently work to meet and exceed compliance standards where and when we can. We believe our ZLD eco-friendly approach not only benefits our pharmaceutical customers, but also the entire supply chain.
A reduced environmental impact throughout the supply chain enhances the sustainability profile of drugs produced in partnership with us. When you partner with Neuland, our commitment to environmental sustainability also benefits you.
