Authors
Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Sezutsu, Hideki; Itsubo, Norihiro
Abstract
In this study, although the environmental load per functional unit will be large on the lab scale, Prospective LCA is an LCA method that anticipates the reduction of the environmental load on a production scale. In order to resolve the problem of heavy environmental impact by using selected raw materials and special equipment for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, the silkworm method, which is used to produce pharmaceuticals using transgenic silkworms with excellent protein production function, is drawing attention. The evaluation boundary was raw materials, electric power and wastes. Calculations were performed based on primary data provided by Immuno-Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. As the database, we used the inventory database of IDEA2 and the 2011 version of the WIO (Waste Input–Output table) developed by Waseda University. The environmental impact assessment method was evaluated using LIME2. From this calculation, the electric power consumption of the clean room to prevent the contamination of viruses and bacteria has a large influence in the extraction / purification process. Subsequently Prospective LCA was carried out after scenario planning of future technology and energy system from various technical information in addition to the conventional LCA data. In contrast to the lab scale, at the pilot scale, the floor area of the existing clean room was effectively used, and the manufacturing time per functional unit was reduced by the system of multiple equipment. In addition, at the production scale, a new chromatography process, the latest continuous processing equipment and an energy-saving clean room were applied. As a result, it was confirmed that GHG emissions including those stemming from the raw materials, transportation, and disposal could be reduced to about 1/5 on the pilot scale and about 1/10 in the production scale compared to the level on the lab scale in the extraction / purification process.