Binder Drop Method for Paracetamol Granulation

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has focused on developing new processes capable of replacing high costing batch operations. A continuous process would potentially lower both operation and manufacturing costs. Processes under consideration should have simple steps to reduce the opportunity of contamination. A process under investigation involves a moving powder bed upon which binding materials are dropped. The drop method is followed by drying and separation of the granule from the powder bed through screening. The developed granules must withstand the screening and transport process.

This research studied the effects of binder drops and drying time on the weight and size of granules formed. Paracetamol, a common API, powder was used as the powder bed. The beds were created in petri dishes. The binder drops were added using syringes. Beds were allowed to dry in air or in an oven. Dried granules were removed from the bed using sieve trays. Imaging analysis was performed using Image-Pro Premier software. Various binders were considered for this research including natural and synthetic polymers. To test for granule stability, Vicker’s hardness was measured. According to results, 5 drops of binder produced the most consistent granule (~300 mg) without the appearance of binder spreading in the bed. The synthetic binder solutions, especially polyvinylpyrrolidone, had the highest hardness values.