High Shear Mixer Granulator Research Articles

Nonclassical Experimental Design Applied in the Optimization of a Placebo Granulate Formulation in High-Shear Mixer

The optimization of wet granulation in a 10-liter high-shear mixer was investigated using a nonclassical experimental mixture design. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, lactose, cornstarch, and microcrystalline cellulose were used as excipients of the granulate, while polyvinylpyrrolidone was used as binder. Besides the minimization of the number of experiments, the strategy applied takes into account the cost of each experiment. The introduction of such a modification allowed us to select an experimental matrix giving enough information with a relatively low number of experiments and at a minimum cost.

Effect of Crystallinity of Microcrystalline Cellulose on Granulation in High-shear Mixer.

Granulation was carried out using binary mixtures of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and cornstarch (CS); water was used as granulating liquid. The effect of crystallinity of MCC on granulation was examined using MCC pulverized by a jet mill (J-MCC) and a vibrational rod mill (R-MCC). Crystallinity of J-MCC was nearly equal to that of intact MCC (I-MCC), but that of R-MCC was remarkably low due to the mechanochemical effect. The growth rate of granules with R-MCC was greater than those with I-MCC and J-MCC; the latter two had a grnule having a core (MCC and CS) around which CS was layered. R-MCC provided granules in which CS and abraded MCC were homogeneously mixed. In addition, R-MCC remarkably decreased the difference in drug content among the size fractions of granules compared with I-MCC. These results suggest that the decrease in crystallinity of MCC may increase the tendency of its abrasion by shear force of impeller, because of an increase of the fragile amorphous region swollen by added water; this, in turn, results in a difference in the growth mechanism and in a greater growth rate.

Wet Granulation in a Small Scale High Shear Mixer

AbstractWet granulation of lactose and corn starch in a 10 litre high shear mixer was examined. The effect of the amount of water added, granulation time and impeller speed on five properties of the granules was investigated by a response surface design.It was shown that moisture level as a major effect on geometric mean diameter and flow rate of the granules. The impeller speed markedly influences the geometric mean diameter, geometric standard deviation, compactability index and percentage of granules smaller than 1250 μm. Finally the granulation time has an evident influence on compactability index.Theoretical optimum conditions were obtained for the five response variables and are comparable with the experimental results.

Melt Granulation in A Laboratory Scale High Shear Mixer

The applicability of a 10 litre high shear mixer for melt granulation of dicalcium phosphate and lactose is examined. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 and 6000 were used as melting binders in concent...

Granulation: A Review on Pharmaceutical Wet-Granulation

AbstractRecent developments in pharmaceutical wet granulation techniques are reviewed with the main emphasis on granulation in fluidized beds and high shear mixers. The following items are dealt with: Fundamentals of granule growth, granulation methods and equipments, granulation variables, scaling-up and end-point control.