Novo Nordisk and researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) are investigating whether wastewater from pharmaceutical manufacturing can be sufficiently treated for reuse in the production process. The researchers aim to cut overall water use by an estimated 50%.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing requires highly purified water, making wastewater recycling particularly challenging. The challenge is even greater when producing injectable medicines, which require exceptionally high water purity.

Senior researcher Ravi Kumar Chhetri from DTU is working with several companies to reduce their water consumption. Source: Bax Lindhardt/DTU

To accomplish this, DTU researchers installed a membrane-based water purification system that uses reverse osmosis at Novo Nordisk’s facility in Hillerød, Denmark, in December 2025. This process forces water through a semipermeable membrane, thereby separating it from dissolved substances and producing purified water.

This approach by itself cannot determine whether the treated water is suitable for pharmaceutical production. Before the water can be reused, researchers must identify any substances that remain after purification and determine whether they could compromise drug quality or patient safety.

According to DTU Senior Researcher Ravi Kumar Chhetri, the team analyzes water samples collected after membrane treatment to assess whether any remaining substances pose a high or low risk, and looks at how to address those at the high end.

Unlike conventional water-saving efforts, this approach focuses on cleaning and reusing existing water, potentially delivering greater water savings while improving Novo Nordisk’s water security. The findings are also intended to provide regulatory evidence for the Danish Medicines Agency that recycled water will not compromise product quality or patient safety.