BITS-Pilani Hyd researchers develop low-energy system to treat biopharma wastewater

Researchers at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, on Thursday, announced the development of a low-energy wastewater treatment technology that can disinfect biopharmaceutical wastewater while recovering reusable water and methane-rich biogas, offering a sustainable solution for one of the most challenging industrial effluents.The technology, demonstrated at the laboratory scale, is being taken forward for industrial deployment in collaboration with Biological E. Ltd., a Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer. The project is supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under its water technology initiative programme, and the core disinfection technology has been filed for an Indian patent, said an official release.Biopharmaceutical fermentation wastewater is considered difficult to treat b