LCA Tool for Sustainability Evaluations in the Pharmaceutical Industry

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2012

Authors

Teresa M. Mata (Author) FEUP; António A. Martins (Author) FEUP; Belmira Neto (Author) FEUP; Maria L. Martins (Author) FEUP; Romualdo L. R. Salcedo (Author) FEUP; Carlos A. V. Costa (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Chemical Engineering Transactions

Vol. 26

Pages: 261-266

ISSN: 1974-9791

Publisher: Italian Association of Chemical Engineering - AIDIC

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

Scopus

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Other engineering and technologies

CORDIS: Technological sciences

Associated Projects

Ecopharmabuilding - Eco-Innovation of Pharmaceutical Buildings Supporting in Sustainable LCA Tools

Other information

DOI: 10.3303/CET1226044

Abstract (EN): This article describes an Excel based tool specifically designed to perform the life cycle assessment (LCA) and the sustainability evaluation of pharmaceutical products and /or processes. In the current state of development the tool deals with the case study of the production of a lyophilized product for intravenous injection, with an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) produced by fermentation using genetically modified organisms. A gate-to-gate (GTG) analysis is done, considering the API production, the final product formulation, its storage and distribution, and the auxiliary operations involved. These steps are included in the aforementioned tool, and a set of sustainability indicators is proposed to make a quantitative sustainability assessment of this pharmaceutical product and process, based on the relevant impacts identified on its life cycle. Despite the limitations, the LCA and the sustainability assessment tool presented here can be easily modified to other types of pharmaceutical processes, given that good descriptions of them are available.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6