The rise of personalised and highly complex drug product profiles necessitates significant advancements in pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. Efforts to develop more agile, responsive, and reproducible manufacturing processes are being combined with the application of digital tools for seamless communication between process units, plants, and distribution nodes. In this paper, we discuss how novel therapeutics of high-specificity and sensitive nature are reshaping well-established paradigms in the pharmaceutical industry. We present an overview of recent research directions in pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain design and operations. We discuss topical challenges and opportunities related to small molecules and biologics, dividing the latter into patient- and non-specific. Lastly, we present the role of process systems engineering in generating decision-making tools to assist manufacturing and distribution strategies in the pharmaceutical sector and ultimately embrace the benefits of digitalised operations.

This paper presents a mathematical model capable of quantitative prediction of the state of the photosynthetic apparatus of microalgae in terms of their open, closed and damaged reaction centers under variable light conditions. This model combines the processes of photoproduction and photoinhibition in the Han model with a novel mathematical representation of photoprotective mechanisms, including qE-quenching and qI-quenching. For calibration and validation purposes, the model can be used to simulate fluorescence fluxes, such as those measured in PAM fluorometry, as well as classical fluorescence indexes. A calibration is carried out for the microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana, whereby 9 out of the 13 model parameters are estimated with good statistical significance using the realized, minimal and maximal fluorescence fluxes measured from a typical PAM protocol. The model is further validated by considering a more challenging PAM protocol alternating periods of intense light and dark, showing a good ability to provide quantitative predictions of the fluorescence fluxes even though it was calibrated for a different and somewhat simpler PAM protocol. A promising application of the model is for the prediction of PI-response curves based on PAM fluorometry, together with the long-term prospect of combining it with hydrodynamic and light attenuation models for high-fidelity simulation and optimization of full-scale microalgae production systems.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have increased the demand for both energy and mobility services across the globe, with accompanying increases in greenhouse gas emissions. This short paper analyzes strategic measures for the abatement of CO₂ emissions from oil refinery operations. A case study involving a large conversion refinery shows that the use of post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) may only be practical for large combined emission point sources, leaving about 30% of site-wide emissions unaddressed. A combination of post-combustion CCS with a CO₂ capture rate well above 90% and other mitigation measures such as fuel substitution and emission offsets is needed to transition towards carbon-neutral refinery operations. All of these technologies must be configured to minimize environmental burden shifting and scope 2 emissions, whilst doing so cost-effectively to improve energy access and affordability. In the long run, scope 3 emissions from the combustion of refinery products and flaring must also be addressed. The use of synthetic fuels and alternative feedstocks such as liquefied plastic waste, instead of crude oil, could present a growth opportunity in a circular carbon economy.