Energy efficiency in pharmaceutical production: A filtration success story
Optimising energy consumption is hugely important for companies in the pharmaceutical industry – to operate not only cost-efficiently, but also in a more environmentally friendly manner. At the same time, the legal requirements for air management and air quality in pharmaceutical production are extremely high. A major German pharmaceutical manufacturer achieved impressive results in terms of air quality, energy, and cost efficiency by upgrading the filter systems in its laboratories with the Airpocket Eco filters from MANN+HUMMEL:
- Reduced annual energy costs by almost € 20,000
- Extended filter service life by doubling the time between replacement intervals
- Improved air quality – meaning better protection of people, products, and the environment
The customer: A pharmaceutical manufacturer with the highest requirements for air management
As a pharmaceutical manufacturer, our customer operates 14 ventilation systems with a total air volume flow of 152,105 m3/h, which run for 6,000 hours a year across three shifts and operate five days a week. In order to maintain this performance, regular air quality monitoring of air volumes and pressure drop levels is absolutely essential for pharmaceutical manufacturers and laboratories.
The challenge: Greater filtration performance, less energy consumption
The challenge was to enhance the performance of the air handling units – especially in terms of maintaining different isolation zones using both positive and negative pressure. Despite switching from the old EN 779 standard to ISO 16890-certified products, the air quality monitoring system revealed that the air handling unit was unable to deliver the required performance levels efficiently.
The solution: The cost and energy-efficient Airpocket Eco filter by MANN+HUMMEL
After MANN+HUMMEL analysed the air quality, we were able to identify the optimum, tailor-made filter solution based on ISO 16890 using our innovative Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) tool. Our Airpocket Eco filter containing 10 pockets is ideal for use in the pharmaceutical industry, thanks to its outstanding, market-leading filtration performance and excellent energy efficiency. The specific advantages of the Airpocket Eco are particularly valuable for our customers working within pharmaceutical production:
- Extremely low energy consumption
- Complies with ISO 846 for microbiological load
- Complies with EN 13501 for fire protection
- Certified class A+ for energy efficiency
- Reduced pressure loss within the system
Although the new air filtration technology increased the customer’s procurement costs by around 25 per cent, the energy savings achieved as a result of the change far outweighed the additional costs.
The result: Massive energy savings in pharmaceutical production
Despite the initially higher procurement costs, the new air filter management solution proved to be significantly more cost-efficient for our customer. A 57 per cent reduction in the original energy costs for the ventilation system was achieved thanks to the high energy efficiency. Moreover, due to their improved dust holding capacity, the filters now only needed to be changed once a year. Ultimately, the switch to the Airpocket Eco filter by MANN+HUMMEL was a resounding success:
- Doubling the lifespan of the filters, from 6 to 12 months
- Reduction in maintenance, purchasing and warehousing costs
- Decrease in energy costs, from € 34,188 to € 14,391
- Rapid amortisation of the investment
- Significantly optimised air quality to better protect people, products, and the environment
This example is a great demonstration that our filtration solutions not only stand for increased efficiency but also signal a stronger commitment to sustainability within the pharmaceutical industry.
Your partner for innovative pharmaceutics filtration and more
With over 80 years of experience and comprehensive expertise in air filtration, MANN+HUMMEL provides the pharmaceutical engineering industry and many other sectors with customised filtration solutions that effortlessly meet the highest standards of efficiency, sustainability, and product safety.
Our customers enjoy an extensive service that includes:
- Specially tailored needs analysis and expert advice
- Development of customised filter solutions
- Professional installation and ongoing maintenance of filter systems
- Comprehensive training of employees
Together with our customers, we are shaping the future of air filtration. Contact us today to learn more about our innovative filter solutions, or explore our extensive portfolio by checking out our filter catalogue.