What If Eli Lilly Took Over Sewage Treatment in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis has a problem—a problem shared by many cities but compounded by its industrial backbone. The White River and its tributaries bear the brunt of urban and industrial waste streams, with pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and nutrients making their way into our waterways. Among the top contributors to this cocktail are industry giants like Eli Lilly, National Starch, and a host of others. But what if, instead of being part of the problem, Eli Lilly became part of the solution?
Imagine a city where one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies doesn’t just produce medicine but also mines it—from its own waste streams. What if Eli Lilly took charge of Indianapolis’s sewage treatment, turning a liability into an innovative, profitable, and sustainable resource?
The Vision
Picture this: instead of letting untreated or partially treated waste flow downstream, Eli Lilly employs cutting-edge hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) systems to process the city’s sewage. These technologies break down organic material under high pressure and temperature, separating it into useful components: bio-oil, biochar, and nutrient-rich water.
The bio-oil could power parts of their operations. The biochar could be used to clean up contaminated soil or as a high-value filtration medium. But the real gem lies in the aqueous phase—the nutrient and compound-rich byproduct of these processes. Here, trace pharmaceuticals, minerals, and other bioactive compounds could be isolated, purified, and funneled back into Eli Lilly’s supply chain for research and production. Additionally, integrating a River Refugium Project (RRP) system for nutrient cycling and natural water treatment could enhance this process, creating a synergy between industrial innovation and ecological restoration.
Why Would Eli Lilly Do This?
1. Supply Chain Augmentation Eli Lilly’s research and development teams are always on the hunt for new compounds. By harvesting pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds from sewage, they could create a closed-loop system where valuable materials are reclaimed rather than lost. Imagine recovering antibiotics, hormones, and even precursors for new drugs directly from waste streams. This isn’t just eco-friendly; it’s cost-effective.
2. Addressing Amalgamated Health Needs Analyzing the compounds recovered from sewage could provide a unique lens into public health trends and challenges. For example, the prevalence of certain pharmaceuticals in waste streams might signal widespread health issues, such as metabolic disorders, mental health conditions, or chronic diseases. This data could guide Eli Lilly’s research priorities, aligning their pipeline with real-world health needs. Additionally, recovered nutrients could be repurposed to enhance food security and address malnutrition through targeted supplementation or agricultural initiatives.
3. Enhanced Corporate Responsibility Eli Lilly already invests heavily in sustainability initiatives. Taking over sewage treatment would place them at the forefront of environmental stewardship, making them a model for other corporations. They could turn Indianapolis into a case study for urban-industrial symbiosis—where waste isn’t waste, but a resource.
4. Regulatory Advantages By actively managing pollution at its source, Eli Lilly could sidestep stricter future regulations. Self-monitoring and treating their own waste stream would also give them unparalleled data for compliance and innovation.
5. Profitability Beyond the feel-good factor, there’s money to be made. Processed compounds could be sold as raw materials to other industries. Clean water credits and government grants for sustainable initiatives could offset operational costs. The long-term savings on environmental fines alone would be significant.
The Process
Here’s how it could work:
- Pre-Treatment: Sewage entering the system is screened for large debris and undergoes sedimentation to remove solids.
- Hydrothermal Processing: Organic waste is subjected to HTL and HTC. The resulting products are separated into bio-oil, biochar, and aqueous phases.
- Compound Recovery: Using advanced filtration and separation technologies, medicinal compounds are isolated from the aqueous phase. These could include antibiotics, hormones, and other pharmaceuticals present in trace amounts. Recovered nutrients are directed into an integrated RRP system to support plant and algae growth, creating a dual benefit of nutrient recycling and water purification.
- Water Recycling: Clean water is cycled back into the city’s water supply or used in industrial processes, reducing demand on natural sources.
- Nutrient and Biomass Utilization: Nutrients harvested through the RRP system feed into agricultural or pharmaceutical applications. Algae and plants grown in the system can be further processed into biofuels, nutritional supplements, or raw materials for manufacturing.
- Product Utilization: The recovered compounds feed into Eli Lilly’s R&D pipelines or are processed into marketable products.
Challenges
Of course, this thought experiment isn’t without hurdles. Extracting trace pharmaceuticals from sewage is technically and economically challenging. Public perception might also be an issue—“mining medicine from poop” isn’t exactly a catchy slogan. And then there’s the regulatory landscape, which would require rigorous oversight to ensure the safety and efficacy of recovered compounds.
But these are not insurmountable obstacles. With the right investment in technology and public relations, Eli Lilly could position itself as a pioneer in sustainable pharmaceutical production.
The Bigger Picture
If successful, this model could be replicated in other cities and industries. Imagine steel plants reclaiming rare earth metals from slag or food companies turning organic waste into high-value bioplastics. Eli Lilly’s leadership could catalyze a new era of industrial responsibility and innovation.
Conclusion
In a world increasingly defined by its waste, the ability to reclaim value from what we discard will be a hallmark of progress. By incorporating an RRP system alongside advanced hydrothermal technologies, Eli Lilly could not only address Indianapolis’s pollution problem but also transform it into an engine of health innovation. The question isn’t whether they could do it—it’s whether they will.