Wet powder rheometry: The best conditions for wet granulation using diluent and binder in calcium carbonate samples

Calcium is an important component for bone maintenance and osteoporosis prevention and can be found in tablet dosage form for dietary supplementation. However, as it contains a high amount of elemental calcium (Ca ⁺⁺ 500 mg), the production of tablets depends on the flow and compaction properties of the material. In this case, wet granulation is the most suitable process and the Mixer Torque Rheometer (MTR) can be used as a tool to study the characteristics of wet granulation for calcium carbonate, such as determining the granulation endpoint. Thus, the purpose of this work was to select the best conditions for the subsequent production of granules from different sources of calcium carbonate using wet powder rheometry.

For this, a complete experimental design was used, including parameters for experiment evaluation (ratio and maximum torque). Each calcium carbonate sample was characterized by particle size and true density tests. Our results showed that the samples are different in terms of particle size and true density for both the raw material and the granules. Statistical analysis revealed that the granulation point varies according to the sample and one can conclude that the higher the concentration of microcrystalline cellulose PH101 and use of pectin, the higher the torques, thus requiring a lower volume of water about the gellan gum. Continue reading here

Rosana Pereira da Silva, Allef Soares Fante, Amanda Roberta Paiva Silva, Fernando Luis Soares Pereira, Yusara Lisset Ruiz Gutierrez, Humberto Gomes Ferraz,
Wet powder rheometry: The best conditions for wet granulation using diluent and binder in calcium carbonate samples,
Powder Technology, 2021, 117087, ISSN 0032-5910,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2021.117087.