Hybrid bio-reactor can treat pharma waste

Hyderabad: Disposal of pharmaceutical waste into nearby water bodies, like ponds, being done by some chemical industries located in the Patancheru and Jeedimetla industrial estates, is causing catastrophic and noxious impact on the aquatic life besides creating ecological imbalance, Department of Chemical Engineering, Madhav Institute of Technology & Science, Gwalior.

Researchers Ayushi Purohit, Shreya Chandrika Saxena, Vibhor Arora. Apeksha Sharma, KulbushanSamal and Sachin Geed, in a paper submitted to the recent International Conference on Biotechnological Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development (Bio-SD 2018), which concluded at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) recently, advocated a novel study on pharmaceutical waste water treatment using two-stage hybrid bio-reactor.

The researchers noted that the control of water pollution has assumed vital importance in the past few decades. The paper said the treatment of pharmaceutical synthetic waste water was performed using hybrid bio-reactor consisting of two stages —absorption and bio-reactor steps. The paper stated that the experiment was conducted up to 48 days at optimised process parameters. In the absorption step bio-char is used as an absorbent which is prepared by pyrolysis of bell shell. The sludge from pharma industry is used as a microbial source in the second step. The organic loading of pharmaceutical pollutant was treated and found greater than 85 per cent effective. Monitoring of the synthetic waste water showed better performance of reactor.