Sustainable chemistry wastewater treatment

Water plays a crucial role in both the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, serving as a fundamental solvent, reactant, and medium for various processes essential to production. In chemical manufacturing, water is utilized as a reaction medium, solvent for raw materials, and in purification processes to obtain high-purity products. Similarly, in pharmaceutical production, water is indispensable for drug formulation, cleaning equipment, and ensuring the integrity and safety of medications.

However, the use of water in these sectors presents great challenges. These include the high demand for high-quality water, stringent purity requirements and the generation of wastewater containing potentially hazardous substances. Balancing the need for water with sustainable practices is essential to mitigate environmental impact, ensure regulatory compliance, and promote efficient resource management.

Innovations in chemistry wastewater treatment and process optimization are crucial for addressing these challenges and enhancing efficiency.

Water treatment in pharmaceutical industry & chemical industry presents significant challenges due to the diverse and complex nature of pollutants found in the effluent. This includes a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds such as solvents, heavy metals, acids, and various pharmaceutical residues. The variability in composition and concentration of these contaminants requires tailored treatment approaches to effectively remove or degrade them.

Paques has developed several anaerobic solutions, such as BIOPAQ^® UASB, BIOPAQ^® IC, BIOPAQ^® ICX and BIOPAQ^® RISE, that transform organic pollutants from the chemical & pharmaceutical industry into valuable biogas and clean water.

We have also supplied our CBD® technology to pharmaceutical projects where the high concentration of solids demanded a low-rate reactor, thus eliminating pre-treatment.

Likewise, in many chemical & pharmaceutical applications our ANAMMOX^® technology removes ammonia from the wastewater using up to 60% less aeration energy compared to conventional systems and without the need of using an external carbon source like methanol. Finally, our THIOPAQ^® technology is used to remove the H₂S from the biogas generated by our anaerobic technologies.

Paques has also supplied a great number of complete turnkey wastewater treatment plants for the chemical & pharmaceutical industry worldwide, combining our technologies with pre-treatment and reuse technologies.