Zero Discharge

Unbeknownst to most, glucosamine production is extremely toxic and harmful to the environment. The producers of Osamine™ are the rare exception in the glucosamine world, taking great care to ensure that the environment is not negatively affected in any way throughout the production process.

The glucosamine manufacturing process involves the generation of spent acid and solvents as a waste byproduct. As it is extremely difficult to treat this waste internally, glucosamine manufacturers usually dispose of the byproduct through vendors who eliminate the waste on their behalf.

In addition to the spent acid and solvents, the manufacturing process also generates solid carbon waste which is a flammable solid and very hazardous. To properly dispose of this solid carbon waste, it needs to be properly incinerated through a specialized incinerator after sufficient drying.

Besides the acids, solvents and solid carbon waste, the glucosamine production process involves extensive washing of reactors, filter media and other equipment which generates highly acidic effluent. This effluent needs to be treated by a proper Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) where the solid waste is separated from the liquid waste. The liquid waste is treated and released in a Common Effluent Treatment Plant while the solid waste is treated, dried and properly incinerated.

During the filtration step of the glucosamine manufacturing process, there is the additional generation of solid impurities which also require proper ETP processing.

Zero Discharge manufacturing processes are designed to prevent the release of any of these harmful or toxic materials into the environment. Another term interchangeably used with Zero Discharge is Totally Effluent Free (TEF). The Pharma Base facility that produces Osamine™ is the only Zero Discharge facility in the world producing glucosamine.

Pharma Base has always maintained very progressive and proactive policies in regards to environmental management with heavy investment to match. The environmentally friendly Osamine™ facility features a world-class effluent treatment plant making it one of the few Asian pharmaceutical facilities that can make the claim to practice “zero discharge” manufacturing.