Solvent Recycling Crucial to Curb CO2 Emissions in Pharma Industry

Related Vendors

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

Italvacuum, Srl

TRM Filter d.o.o.

Alfa Laval Group

For a given duty, while the shell and tube heat exchanger requires 25 m2 heat transfer area with installed weight of 900 kg and length of 3 meter, a spiral heat exchanger with 14 m2 heat transfer area having an installed weight of 450 kg and 1.5 meter in height can serve the same duty. This phenomenal feature gives plenty of freedom in terms of plant layout; it also reduces the structural steel requirement.

Emission from Storage Tanks is the Biggest Concern

When it comes to the recovery of solvent from non-conventional applications – centrifuge, vacuum tray dryers (VTDs), fluid bed dryers (FBDs) – emission of solvent from the storage tanks is the biggest concern and almost an impossible task since the amount of non-condensable (inert) gas is more and actual solvent quantity is very less. In addition, the boiling point of the mixture becomes drastically low. Emission of solvents through such processes is unstoppable. Even the use of low temperature utility does not serve the purpose.

Alfa Laval’s spiral heat exchanger ensures optimal solvent recovery across such critical processes. Several customers have testified the benefits offered by this type of heat exchangers, and return on investment was attained in less than two months.

Taking the Clean Route

To sum up, pharmaceutical manufacturers need to seriously employ the technique of solvent recycling, which is the need of the hour to ensure a clean environment, especially pure and solvent-free air. For recovery across non-conventional applications, a compact heat exchanger with a very high overall heat transfer coefficient value is recommended.

Moreover, there should not be any back pressure from heat exchanger to the process. Pressure drop across the process vapour side is negligible in spiral heat exchanger; hence the heat exchanger does not cause any back pressure in process. This is more likely the case in conventional shell and tube design, and this often leads to serious accidents.

* The author is Market Unit Manager for Heat Exchangers – Food and Pharma Components at Alfa Laval

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