Students participating in the excursion with Ilya Suvorov (fifth from the left)
As part of the course "Purification of natural waters," fourth-year students majoring in Water Supply and Sanitation at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering visited the production site of JSC Pharmasynthez-Nord, located within the Novoorlovskaya Special Economic Zone in Saint Petersburg. The excursion allowed these future water supply and sanitation professionals to explore modern water treatment technologies used in the pharmaceutical industry and to reinforce their theoretical knowledge in an actual industrial environment.
JSC Pharmasynthez-Nord is part of the Pharmasynthez Group, one of Russia’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. The enterprise is a modern, high-tech research and manufacturing complex that specializes in the development and production of medicinal products, including those for the treatment of oncological, autoimmune, and endocrine diseases.
A distinctive feature of the pharmaceutical industry is the stringent requirements for water quality, as water is used not only to support technological processes but also directly in the manufacturing of medicinal products. Depending on its intended use, the water must meet specific regulatory standards regarding physicochemical and microbiological parameters. Consequently, water treatment systems are a critical component of the engineering infrastructure at such facilities.
The primary objective of the excursion was to study the technological process for preparing pharmaceutical-grade water, the specifics of equipment operation, and the methods for monitoring water quality at various stages of its treatment.
The tour was conducted by Ilya Suvorov, a lead engineer for water treatment and wastewater treatment plant operations at JSC Pharmasynthez-Nord and an assistant at the SPbGASU Department of Water Use and Environment, under the guidance of Pharmasynthez-Nord staff training and onboarding specialists Natalia Lavrentyeva and Yulia Abeneva.
The students were introduced to a water treatment system that provides purified water, water for injection, and pure steam—all of which are essential for production processes.
Particular attention was paid to the purpose of individual water treatment stages and the quality requirements for the final product. Students were shown how the sequential removal of impurities ensures that the water meets the necessary specifications, and why standard drinking water is insufficient for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
An important part of the tour was a laboratory exercise focused on water quality analysis. Participants collected water samples at various stages of the technological process, making it possible to track changes in water characteristics as it moved through successive treatment phases. This approach allowed them to go beyond a mere visual inspection of the equipment and instead directly evaluate the performance of the water treatment system on-site.
An equally significant part of the meeting was the discussion of issues related to the operation of water treatment systems. Students inquired about the specifics of equipment performance, the organization of operational monitoring, water quality requirements, and the assurance of reliability in technological processes. Particular attention was paid to the role of engineering personnel in maintaining the stable operation of these systems and in the timely identification of any potential deviations from established parameters.
Visiting a pharmaceutical facility allowed students to see the diverse range of applications for water treatment technologies. While the academic curriculum typically focuses on methods for purifying natural water for domestic and drinking purposes, pharmaceutical manufacturing demonstrates the need for further, in-depth water treatment tailored to the specific requirements of an industrial user.
Furthermore, the tour demonstrated that the efficiency of water treatment systems is determined not only by the selection of an appropriate process design, but also by the competent operation of equipment, continuous monitoring of parameters, and timely maintenance.
Conducting off-site classes at active industrial facilities is an important component of practice-oriented education at SPbGASU. Such activities foster the development of students' professional competencies, provide insight into the real-world tasks involved in engineering work, and help students better understand the requirements placed on modern professionals in the field of water supply and sanitation.
Of particular value is the opportunity to become familiar with the engineering systems of a high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, where exceptionally high standards are required regarding equipment reliability, the stability of technological processes, and the quality of the water used.
The SPbGASU Department of Water Use and Environment expresses its sincere gratitude to the management and staff of JSC Pharmasynthez-Nord for the opportunity to visit their production site, for the introduction to modern water treatment technologies, and for their assistance in organizing the practical component of our coursework. The company’s openness to collaborating with educational institutions and its willingness to share industrial expertise create valuable additional opportunities for the high-quality training of future engineering professionals.
The tour served as an example of effective collaboration between the university and an industrial enterprise, demonstrating the value of integrating theoretical training, laboratory research, and practical industrial experience into the educational process.