Energy efficiency and waste reduction through maintenance optimization: a case study in the pharmaceutical industry

Soares Domingues, Nuno Alexandre; Patrício, João

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/22153

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
Energy_NSDomingues.pdf		990.11 KB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Soares Domingues, Nuno Alexandre

Patrício, João

Abstract(s)

The global rise in population, increased life expectancy, and heightened international mobility have escalated disease prevalence and pharmaceutical demand. This growth intensifies energy consumption and chemical waste production within the pharmaceutical industry, challenging environmental sustainability and operational efficiency. Chromatography, a vital analytical technique for ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance, can also contribute to material waste and energy inefficiencies if not properly maintained and optimized. This study applies Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to chromatographic equipment maintenance within Hovione’s Engineering and Maintenance Department, aiming to identify and mitigate failure risks. By integrating environmental metrics derived from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into the FMEA framework, a hybrid risk evaluation tool was developed that prioritizes both equipment reliability and sustainability performance. The findings demonstrate how this integrated approach reduces unplanned downtime, lowers solvent waste, and improves energy efficiency. Additionally, the study proposes a conceptual dashboard to support proactive, sustainability-driven asset management in pharmaceutical laboratories. By bridging reliability engineering and environmental sustainability, this research offers a strategic model for optimizing resource use, minimizing chemical waste, and enhancing long-term operational resilience in regulated pharmaceutical environments.

Description

This research received no external funding. However, the internship of the student that is co author of this paper was funded by the company Hovione-Portugal.

Keywords

Energy efficiency Waste Sustainability Lifecycle Maintenance Process optimization Operational efficiency Biomedical devices Pharmaceutical industry

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/22153

Citation

Domingues, N. S., & Patrício, J. (2025). Energy efficiency and waste reduction through maintenance optimization: a case study in the pharmaceutical industry. Waste, 3(3), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/waste3030028