Industries / Pharma and life science
Absolute purity and efficiency
In pharma and life sciences, “good enough” is not acceptable. Conventional separation methods for solvent processing are often a compromise between high operating costs and insufficient purity. We offer a reliable alternative for critical processes: customised plants that combine advanced membrane technology with robust plant engineering.
Why standard solutions fail in pharmaceutical technology
In the pharmaceutical industry, solvent processing demands exceptional purity: often less than 0.5% water by weight, free from solids and colourless. Conventional methods such as distillation reach their limits in this context, as they are highly energy-intensive and require elevated process temperatures.
Our pervaporation technology provides a targeted solution to this challenge. Using specially developed membrane, it removes water with high selectivity, even at very low concentrations. The result is a reproducible process that achieves the required purity while significantly lower operating costs.
Verifiable safety: our certifications
In pharma and life sciences, traceability is mandatory. We deliver a plant that can be fully validated.
- 3.1 material certificates: These confirm that the metallic materials used meet the specified chemical and mechanical requirements, ensuring full traceability and plant integrity.
- FDA compliance: For non-metallic components in contact with products, we provide the corresponding FDA certificates of conformity, preventing contamination during solvent purification.
- ATEX compliance: As we work with organic solvents that may form explosive atmospheres, all relevant components are certified in accordance to the European ATEX directive (Explosive Atmospheres), ensuring maximum operational safety in hazardous areas.
- CE marking: This confirms the plant complies with applicable European directives and regulations.
Beyond material and component certification, we ensure process reliability through comprehensive testing:
- Factory acceptance tests (FAT): We conduct these tests in our workshops prior to delivery. These tests confirm the correct functionality of the plant according to the technical specifications and the qualification requirements of your process.
- Site acceptance tests (SAT): Following installation at your facility, we work closely with your team to confirm that the plant performs as intended under real operating conditions and achieve the required performance.
The proof: concrete industrial results
Case 1: Significant steam reduction in the production of immunosuppressants
- Challenge: A crystallization process required ethanol with a water content of less than 1,000 ppm, which previously had to be purchased at high cost for every batch.
- Solution: A pervaporation plant that continuously dehydrates the used ethanol and recycles it back into the process.
- Outcome: The water content was reduced to < 500 ppm, exceeding the purity requirements, while achieving an extremely low steam consumption of only 0.06 kg per kg of dry ethanol.
Case 2: Zero discharge process for medical device manufacturing
- Challenge: The external purification of large quantities of n-propanol resulted in high costs, significant logistical overhead, and excessive energy consumption within the process.
- Solution: An integrated plant that combines distillation, vapour permeation, pervaporation, and wastewater stripping into a single, unified process.
- Outcome: A zero discharge process implemented on-site, reducing energy consumption by 50% compared to competitor solutions and cutting CO₂ emissions by approximately 2,000 tons per year.
Case 3: 100 percent recovery in contrast media production
- Challenge: An outdated salt precipitation method for dehydrating sec-butanol caused massive amounts of waste, high chemical consumption and low yields.
- Solution: A highly integrated process plant combining evaporation, distillation, and vapour permeation, completely replacing the inefficient legacy process.
- Outcome: Product recovery of nearly 100% with a solvent that is solids-free, colourless, and exceeds requirements with a water content well below 1%.
Frequently asked questions
Why is pervaporation superior to conventional distillation in pharma and life sciences?
Pervaporation is often the more precise and gentle technology for pharma and life sciences. Conventional distillation requires a complex configurations and high energy input to separate water from solvents at azeotropic compositions. Similarly, molecular sieves operate efficiently only used within limited water concentration ranges and may also introduce impurities into the solvent. Pervaporation, by contrast, removes water selectively through a membrane, requires significantly less energy, and delivers the high level of purity required for critical processes.
Which purity requirements does DeltaMem fulfil?
We specialise in solvent purification across a wide water concentration range, from 80% down to just a few ppm. The purified solvent must be solids-free, odourless, and colourless. By combining our membrane technologies (pervaporation, vapor permeation) with thermal processes, we can also reliably remove complex contaminants and guarantee high purity.
Are DeltaMem plants GMP-compliant?
We deliver our plants with all relevant certifications, such as material certificates and FDA certificates of conformity for non-metallic parts. Furthermore, we conduct comprehensive Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT). These tests serve as essential documents for the qualification of your process plant. The goal is always a reproducible result without any deviation.
How expensive is DeltaMem’s pervaporation technology?
We focus on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Thanks to significantly lower energy consumption and high recovery rate (up to 100%), our plants often achieve a faster return on investment than expected. The long-term reduction in procurement costs, minimisation of waste disposal, and a lower carbon footprint make our solutions economically attractive and future-proof.
How does DeltaMem differ from other plant engineers and membrane suppliers?
We are neither a mere membrane supplier nor a conventional plant engineer company. We are a provider of fully integrated solutions. Our strength lies in our in-house R&D center and the close integration of laboratory, engineering, and manufacturing. This enable us to integrate technologies like distillation and pervaporation into a single plant, precisely tailored to your specific separation challenge – rather than just relying on standard processes. We deliver the customised process solution that others may consider too complex.