Pharmaceuticals Product-only Design

The Resource Consumption and Recovery Act (RCRA), 1976, encourages waste minimization via practices like source reduction and solvent recycle. Waste streams treated with the orthodox end-of-pipe treatment options like thermal incineration, chemical oxidation etc. has to be reported as RCRA hazardous. To avoid strict environmental regulations imposed on all such effluent streams, this paper explores alternatives to avoid wastes altogether. The main idea is to explore future pharmaceutical manufacturing practices delivering a principal high value added product alongside complimentary products each for direct sale to a market customer. This conjecture gives rise to a novel paradigm of product-only manufacturing processes. In this pollution-free view, all effluent streams are specified such that they lead to a set of ancillary products. No waste streams are allowed. We propose a novel synthesis methodology for the design of product-only manufacturing recipes. Our methodology synthesizes optimal product-only operating procedures by purification and mixing for an entire manufacturing site. It will allow corporate managers to optimally convert their wastes into marketable products.