Decarbonising Clean Rooms

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Within the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, one of the largest consumers of energy (and hence carbon) is to support clean room conditions. Pharmaceutical clean rooms are specified to operate under carefully controlled conditions. There are strict microbial and particulate limits according to the room grade required. To achieve these limits, room air exchange rates are high, typically 30 air changes per hour for a Grade C room which benchmarks against 3 air change rates per hour for an office. In addition, the technology to remove particles and microbes has been unchanged for decades; the industry relies on high efficiency particulate filters (HEPAs) which typically have high pressure drops. Between the high pressure drops and high air exchange rates, the energy used to service clean rooms can account for 60% of a biopharmaceutical facility's direct carbon footprint. Alternative, non-mechanical techniques are available to reduce energy consumption in clean rooms. In the project, a clean room at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Innovation Centre (CGMIC) will have its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system modified to incorporate low energy, non-mechanical techniques in combination with low pressure drop filters. The room will be monitored for particles and microbial load both before and after modification. The use of non-mechanical enhancement of filtration will demonstrate how innovative technology can assist the pharmaceutical industry in transitioning to a lower carbon future.