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The use of vacuum pumps in the pharmaceutical industry
Vacuum pumps are among the most popular equipment used in the pharmaceutical industry and biopharmaceutical. They are used from the pilot to the industrial scale in all sectors: from the producers of intermediates to those of active ingredients (API)
Drying
A typical process that requires vacuum technology is drying, which represents a crucial step in the finishing sequence of the pharmaceutical product.
Drying takes place immediately after centrifugation or filtration. It is a process in which the moisture present in a solid mass is removed, introducing heat from the outside. This operation is carried out under vacuum to dry thermo-sensitive or hygroscopic substances at low temperatures. In the pharmaceutical field, the drying is a discontinuous process and can be carried out with different technologies depending on the product.
Crystalline products from synthesis (reactor) are mainly intended for treatment with dynamic dryers (rotary dryers and horizontal vane dryers). For these products, a very defined particle size and a very low degree of humidity are in fact required.
Instead, amorphous products or products of plant / animal origin are usually processed by static dryers. For these products, the granulometry is generally not a determining factor, as they are subsequently subjected to grinding, and the degree of water humidity is never so stringent.
Dynamic drying
This is the typical case that occurs in the production of active ingredients (API). The effectiveness of the drying process in a dynamic system is attributable not only to the system itself, but also to the vacuum unit using rotary dryers and horizontal vane dryers. Context in which the vacuum pump finds itself facing simultaneously the presence of aggressive organic solvents (e.g. acetone, toluene, etc.) and the potential interaction with solid dust particles (especially if not properly retained by the filter systems) Italvacuum vacuum pumps satisfy both requests.
Requiring a very low final humidity degree, it is common for dynamic dryers to be combined with pumps coupled to root compressors.
For the purposes of the process, it is necessary to activate these compressors in the final drying phase to extract the last traces of solvent retained by the pharmaceutical powders. In these circumstances the condenser, which always precedes the Saurus939 vacuum unit, is bypassed and the volumetric compressor is activated. With the help of the root it is possible to achieve very low vacuum degrees coupled with extremely high flow rates.
In the drying of active ingredients (API) and in general for chemical-pharmaceutical products, the value of the Saurus pump is manifested in its high tolerability under the most severe conditions such as the presence of powders, aggressive solvents, etc.) where the other vacuum technologies show their limits.
Static drying
An application example is the drying of plant extracts, typical of the phytotherapic industry that is currently booming.
This sector combines the most modern extractive technologies with the vacuum drying techniques of the pharmaceutical industry established since the beginning. The products of natural origin and of vegetable matrix are subjected to extraction with solvents. The batch resulting from this treatment is then dried to preserve its thermo-sensitive characteristics unaltered.
The process involves the activation of the vacuum pump and the condensation group. Both remain active for the entire duration of the process. In static drying, the Saurus939 vacuum pumps are supplied in the basic two-stage version with or without root.
