pharmIn2

The initial situation

India produces low-cost medicines for the global market, with a significant proportion being exported to Europe. With an annual growth rate of 10 - 12 %, the industry aims to become the world market leader by 2030 and to increase its sales to 130 billion US dollars. Despite this economic success, the pharmaceutical industry has a significant negative impact on society and the environment. The discharge of heavily polluted wastewater from pharmaceutical plants, which is contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, causes devastating damage to human health and ecosystems.

The approach

As part of the project, the a3op® technology from up2e! for the treatment of heavily contaminated wastewater was piloted on the Indian market. This special ozone technology enables pharmaceutical wastewater to be pre-cleaned directly on the factory premises.

The project took a comprehensive approach by adapting the a3op® technology to local conditions and setting up a pilot plant to demonstrate its functionality and efficiency in India. The target groups of the technology are Indian pharmaceutical companies, operators of centralised wastewater treatment plants, service providers that have to treat pharmaceutical wastewater, as well as public institutions, associations and universities. In order to adapt the technology to local conditions and market requirements, the partners worked together with the Indian company Paques Environmental Technology India Pvt. Ltd.

The objectives and measures

The pilot plant was designed in such a way that the general functionality of the technology is conveyed and a transfer to other industrial sectors is made possible.

In June 2024, the pilot plant was put into operation on the premises of a pharmaceutical factory in Hyderabad. In the following months, the purification performance of the plant was tested and the technology was presented to potential customers.

In parallel, the project, led by the Institute for Water and Energy Management (iwe) at Hof University of Applied Sciences, developed a special e-learning training and information platform for the a3op® technology in order to train interested pharmaceutical companies and stakeholders from the wastewater sector in the use of a3op® technology.

In addition, possible operator models were developed for the plants, which were adapted to the conditions in India.

The project will contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).