An Introduction To The Wet Granulation Equipment & Process

By Author: John
Total Articles: 14
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Granulation is the process of forming granules or grains from a powdered medicine or drug or any solid substance. In this article, we are going to talk about wet granulation equipment and how that helps in the wet granulation process. So let us begin and get a better understanding of what wet granulation is and how it works.

What is Wet Granulation?
The process of wet granulation takes place, as the name suggests, with the help of a liquid solution or adhesives. The powder of the medicine or drug is bound with the help of this liquid solution as this process does not depend on any compressive forces to form granules.

There are essentially two different types of granulation processes. They are - Wet Granulation Process and Dry Granulation Process. However, in this article, we will solely be discussing the wet granulation process as both processes have a lengthy and prolonging explanation and science behind them.

What are the factors that affect the choice of the process?
The making of a choice for a particular process depends on various factors. The user or the operator needs to get an ...
... in-depth understanding of the following to be able to make a decision -
Physicochemical properties
Excipients
Release properties
Specific flow

The Different Stages of a Wet Granulation Process -
The Wet Granulation Process has four major and critical stages. Let us discuss them in detail

Preparing the materials for granulation - The first stage of the process involves preparing the materials that are required to be created into granules or grains. When it comes to wet granulation techniques, there are a few specific ingredients and characteristics that affect the complexity of the technique. These key elements that must be considered while choosing materials are -
a. Compressibility
b. Moisture content
c. Particle size
d. Hardness
e. Porosity
f. Bulk density

This also depends on choosing the correct granulator equipment and with the appropriate powders, the charging process can be commenced. The charging process essentially refers to the process of adding the powder into the granulation chamber which will be ready for agglomeration. The granulation equipment will start rotating and to optimize the mixing process, the machine will have a counterflow setup. This will allow a great movement for the mass and a homogeneous mixing of the materials.

Adding the Granulation solution - The granulation solution is an extremely vital part of the process as it will facilitate the agglomeration process. Now, naturally, for granulator machines for pharmaceuticals, there are various different types of organic solvents or aqueous granulation liquids that you can choose depending on several different factors. While the aqueous solution is eco-friendly, affordable and non-flammable, the organic solvents are suitable for moisture-sensitive products. The latter solution is also highly volatile and hence dries faster as opposed to the former solution as they take a longer drying time. You need to dispose of the liquids as soon as the granulation process is done and dusted with. After that, you will need to add a granulation binder fluid when the powder is under the influence of an impeller as it keeps rotating.

Agglomeration Process - As the impeller continues to rotate and the operator keeps adding the granulation binder solution, the small granules will start to form. As you keep adding more granulation solution, the granules will increase in size as they collide with other powdery particles. The process will continue till the granules are of a suitable size.

The process of drying the granules - Post the formulation of granules, there is a requirement of efficient drying equipment that can eradicate all the granulation liquid or solution. Even for this process, there are multiple options to choose from. But beware, as, during this process, you can lose out on some of the material.

The wet granulation process is all about the consistency and the granulation equipment that is used to make the process work. You can find the best granulator machines for pharmaceuticals at the best and leading pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers.