Pharmaceutical Industry

Pharmaceutical workshops often generate a certain amount of waste gas, including smoke, dust particles, and organic waste gases. For particles such as smoke and dust, processes such as mechanical dust removal, wet scrubbing, filtration dust removal, and electrostatic precipitation can be employed. For organic waste gases, processes such as absorption, adsorption, condensation, incineration, biological treatment, photocatalytic oxidation, and low-temperature plasma purification can be used. In practice, to enhance removal efficiency and reduce treatment costs, multiple processes can be combined.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a critical industry for society, directly related to public health. Pharmaceutical processes, including fermentation, chemical synthesis, bioengineering, and extraction, may all generate certain waste gases, causing pollution to the atmospheric environment, threatening ecosystems, and endangering human health. Against the backdrop of gradually strengthened environmental protection and governance at both the central and local levels, pharmaceutical enterprises have become a key focus for relevant regulatory departments. Therefore, it is essential to summarize and review the treatment processes for organic waste gases generated during pharmaceutical production.

Waste Gases from Pharmaceutical Workshops and Their Hazards

To achieve the intended medicinal effects, the composition of pharmaceuticals is complex, and these components must be combined in specific ways. This determines that drug manufacturing is a complex process, inevitably generating various waste gases, particularly organic waste gases.

(1) Sulfur-containing compounds, which can further produce hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, and even sulfur trioxide, sulfuric acid, and other sulfate compounds.

(2) Nitrogen-containing compounds, which can regenerate nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and even nitric acid, nitrate compounds, and ozone.

(3) Hydrocarbons, which further generate carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

(4) Hydrocarbons, which easily form volatile organic compound complexes and further generate aldehydes and ketones.

(5) Halogen compounds, which can further produce pollutants such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.

(6) Inorganic particulate matter, mainly dust and smoke generated after processes such as crushing, grinding, screening, and incineration. On the other hand, because large amounts of volatile organic solvents—such as ethyl acetate, acetone, benzene compounds, alcohols, and butyl acetate—are used during processing, VOCs pollution is also generated.

Process Flow for the Application of Steel-Flange-Lined PTFE Flame Arresters in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries:

Organic waste gas first passes through dry filtration to remove particulate pollutants, then enters an activated carbon adsorption bed. Honeycomb activated carbon with a large specific surface area is used to adsorb organic solvents on its surface. The treated clean gas stream is discharged at high altitude through a fan and chimney. After operating for a period of time, the activated carbon becomes saturated. The desorption-catalytic combustion process of the system is then initiated. Hot air is used to desorb the organic solvents previously adsorbed on the activated carbon surface, and catalytic combustion converts them into harmless substances such as CO₂ and water vapor, releasing heat. The heat generated by the reaction is partially reused for desorption heating through heat exchange. When desorption reaches a certain level, heat release and desorption heating achieve balance, allowing the system to complete the desorption regeneration process without external heating. The adsorption process operates continuously, with standby adsorption units activated while saturated adsorption units undergo desorption. The desorbed activated carbon units are prepared for the next cycle.

Main Advantages of PTFE-Lined Flame Arresters:

High-Temperature Resistance: Operating temperatures up to 250°C.

Low-Temperature Resistance: Good mechanical toughness; elongation can remain at 5% even at -196°C.

Corrosion Resistance: Inert to most chemicals and solvents; resistant to strong acids, strong alkalis, water, and various organic solvents.

Weather Resistance: Exhibits the longest aging lifespan among plastics.

High Lubricity: One of the lowest friction coefficients among solid materials.

Non-Adhesion: The smallest surface tension among solid materials, not adhering to any substance.

Non-Toxicity: Physiologically inert and non-toxic to organisms.

Application Scope:

① Pipelines transporting flammable gases.

② Flare systems.

③ Oil and gas recovery systems.

④ Fuel gas networks for heating furnaces.

⑤ Gas purification and ventilation systems.

⑥ Gas analysis systems.

⑦ Coal mine gas drainage systems.

⑧ The flame arrester has successfully prevented flame passage in 13 consecutive subsonic flame tests.

⑨ Hydrostatic pressure test at 2.4MPa shows no leakage