Improving the sustainability of biopharmaceutical downstream processing through buffer recycling

Area of Science:

• Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
• Chemical Engineering
• Sustainable Development

Background:

• Biopharmaceutical production requires substantial water and chemicals, primarily for buffer solutions in downstream processing.
• Growing biopharmaceutical markets and sustainability goals necessitate reducing this resource-intensive consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and demonstrate the feasibility of buffer recycling in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
• To reduce water and chemical usage in downstream processing, specifically during chromatography steps.

Main Methods:

• Implemented buffer recycling during the equilibration phase of Protein A chromatography for antibody purification.
• Tested two methods: batch-to-batch recycling and multi-column recycling, involving buffer recovery and pH adjustment for reuse.

Main Results:

• Achieved nearly 50% reduction in equilibration buffer consumption, representing over 10% of total buffer use in the Protein A protocol.
• Demonstrated no adverse effects on antibody yield or purity after implementing buffer recycling.

Conclusions:

• Buffer recycling is a viable strategy to enhance sustainability in biomanufacturing.
• This method effectively reduces water and chemical consumption without compromising product quality.