Spray drying

Producing solid powders from solutions and emulsions

The spray process is a special method of converting a solution, suspension or emulsion into solid powder form in a single process step. Spray drying is a recognized process in many branches of industry such as pharmaceuticals, food sciences, chemistry or materials science.

In addition, many other processes can be completed in a single step:

• Modifications of the particle size
• Agglomeration of nanoparticles
• Drying of suspensions
• Further particle coating for protection against e.g. acids
• Immobilization of liquids and solid materials in a matrix
• Production of microcapsules
  

Mini spray dryer for rapid drying of heat-sensitive substances on a laboratory scale

With the nano spray dryer in our laboratory (spray dryer B-290 from Büchi) particles in the range of 300 nm up to 5 μm can be produced. The electrostatic particle separator ensures yields of up to 90 percent for sample quantities in the milligram range. Conventional methods achieve yields of only 60-70 percent. This enables experimental work with the smallest substance quantities for feasibility studies - ideal for R&D feasibility studies of high-quality pharmaceutical formulations and formulations of nanomaterials.

In addition, the mini spray dryer is the perfect solution for fast, consistent and gentle drying of heat-sensitive molecules in aqueous and organic solutions into free-flowing powder and is ideal for high-quality cyclone separations with high yield and minimal product losses and easy scale-up of processes to an industrial production scale.