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Energy efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry: searching for the low-hanging fruit
Producing more sustainably, making the supply chain more robust and saving money at the same time? What sounds like clickbait is so obvious that it is surprising that the potential for energy efficiency measures in pharmaceutical companies is still so great. Find out where the hidden potential lies.
If you ask pharmacists about the energy costs of their production, you will usually get a shrug of the shoulders. At only around one per cent of the gross production value, the share of energy costs is comparatively low compared to expenditure on research and development, marketing and sales or regulatory costs. This is one of the reasons why the topic of energy efficiency has not played a major role in the pharmaceutical industry to date. But this is changing, as more and more pharmaceutical manufacturers are setting ambitious goals in terms of sustainability and climate neutrality. And not least the energy crisis following the Russian war of aggression has made us aware of the importance of a stable energy supply. Ultimately, supply chains become more stable when fewer production resources have to be purchased – and by then at the latest, pharmaceutical manufacturers should also be interested in energy efficiency measures.
Optimised HVAC and containment for energy savings
A recent study by Capgemini shows that targeted measures in pharmaceutical production can save up to 20 percent of total energy consumption. And it starts with heating, ventilation and air conditioning – a system that is summarised under the acronym ‘HVAC’: According to the study, HVAC systems account for more than 50 per cent of the energy consumption in pharmaceutical production plants. They are indispensable for meeting the high standards of air quality and hygiene in clean rooms. However, the air exchange rates are often higher than necessary or the control of the air flows is not optimally coordinated. Savings of up to 20% are possible in HVAC systems through optimised control of the temperature and air supply alone. In addition, heat recovery systems can significantly reduce energy consumption by making the waste heat from ventilation systems available for other processes.
Containment systems make it possible to limit the areas of cleanroom areas – and thus reduce the energy demand for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.One important lever here is the limitation of cleanroom space. This is where containment systems come into play: the use of modern containment technology allows highly sensitive production areas to be specifically demarcated within a cleanroom, significantly reducing the need for large-scale cleanroom environments. Instead of bringing entire rooms or halls up to the highest cleanliness standards, strict air and particle control is limited to smaller, closed areas such as isolated production cells or laminar flow boxes. This significantly reduces the energy required for HVAC systems, since less air volume needs to be conditioned, circulated and filtered. At the same time, the safety of people and products is guaranteed. Studies show that the targeted use of containment technologies can reduce HVAC energy consumption by up to 40%.
A prime example of the successful use of modern energy efficiency technologies is the Pfizer site in Freiburg. There, an intelligent building management system has made it possible to reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by 40%. The system integrates data from production and building technology on a central platform, thus enabling precise control and monitoring of all processes. The use of state-of-the-art containment technologies also helps to increase efficiency. These ensure the safe handling of highly active ingredients without unnecessarily increasing energy consumption.
Optimising dryers and compressed air systems
In addition to air conditioning, drying processes are another energy-intensive area. Removing moisture from products, for example in spray dryers or fluidised bed dryers, requires enormous amounts of energy. Heat recovery systems are becoming increasingly important here – waste heat flows can not only be used to preheat fresh air, but can also be raised to a high temperature level with heat pumps. There is also potential for efficiency in the cleaning of glass containers and the generation of pure steam required for this – the use of preheaters can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%, for example.
But there is also great potential for efficiency in the generation and use of compressed air. This is because compressed air is one of the most expensive forms of energy in pharmaceutical production. Significant amounts of energy are often lost through leaks in compressed air systems. Regular inspection and maintenance of these systems can reduce energy losses by up to 50 per cent. In addition, the study recommends the use of more efficient compressors, which also enable significant savings.
Start with small measures, plan investments for the long term
Another result of the Capgemini study is exciting: more than a third of the energy efficiency measures identified are so-called quick wins: initiatives that require little investment and can be implemented quickly. These include, for example, the monitoring and maintenance of steam traps in steam systems. This is because defective steam traps often lead to unnecessary and avoidable energy losses. The harmonisation of temperature and humidity parameters in clean rooms is another such measure. According to the study, up to 10% of energy consumption can be saved by adjusting these parameters to actual demand.
In the long term, it is worthwhile investing in renewable energies and digital technologies for the reasons described at the beginning. For example, the pharmaceutical site operator Pharmaserv in Marburg is building its own wind farm and investing in storage solutions to ensure a sustainable supply for the Behringwerke site. However, it does not always have to be your own wind or solar park: digital technologies such as smart metering and real-time data monitoring help to identify inefficient processes and tap into energy-saving potential. This not only allows companies to reduce their operating costs, but also to improve their carbon footprint.
