Particulate Operations with Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Applications

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Pharmaceutical, fertilizer/agriculture, detergent and food industries all rely heavily on particulate processing for the manufacturing of their products. The particulate behaviour during many of the processing steps is complex and therefore knowledge about the processes still remains limited. As a result, the design and scale-up of these processes are often accomplished empirically. In addition, monitoring and control strategies are usually insufficient to ensure optimal and/or continuous operation. Two research projects are proposed: (i) mixing particles and (ii) hydrophobic powders and their granulation.   One of the last steps in the tablet manufacturing pathway involves the mixing of granules or pellets with any remaining required excipients. Mixing is a critical step as the mixture must be uniform to ensure that each tablet contains the correct amount of each ingredient. A non-uniform mixture can result in over-administration of the active ingredient with undesirable side effects or under-administration resulting in a loss of desired therapeutic effect. Creating and sustaining a uniform mixture of granules or pellets with excipients, however, is a challenge as these ingredients have a large disparity in their properties and therefore exhibit a natural tendency to separate or de-mix. The research will investigate the application of passive vibration measurements to identify segregation within mixtures. These measurements would allow the extraction of information about the mixing inline and in real-time without product contact or equipment modification. The research will also look at applying these measurements to a continuous blender.   Biochar is the solid residue of pyrolysis. It has complex properties including being hydrophobic. The proposed research will investigate biomass feedstock and pyrolysis conditions that affect biochar, with a focus on its hydrophobicity. Granulation of hydrophobic powders remains poorly understood. Therefore, further research is proposed to investigate granulation mechanisms of biochar and to identify process parameters that provide granules with specific attributes. Granulation of biochar into granules would improve its application as a soil amendment; harmful dust emissions would be minimized and nutrients and bacteria could be incorporated into the granules to further stimulate plant growth.   The proposed research will provide training for four MESc, one PhD and five summer students. There is an anticipated positive impact on the pharmaceutical and fertilizer/agricultural industries. Further understanding of mixing and development of monitoring methods will ensure high product quality while improving efficiency and reducing the cost of manufacturing. Hydrophobic powders have many potential applications. These powders need further study to understand their properties and how they can be processed and developed for specific applications including biochar as a soil amendment.