Evaluation of the effect of granulation processing parameters on the granule properties: Lactose- Cornstarch case study

Understanding the relationship between processing parameters of fluidized bed wet granulation and the characteristics of intermediate and final products is crucial in the pharmaceutical processes. This research examined a fluidized bed wet granulation process containing a cornstarch solution as binder and lactose particles as powder. The design of experiment (DoE) was performed according to an L9 Taguchi method with three replications. The variables considered in the experimental design were binder flow rate, drying air temperature, spraying pressure, and initial mass of particle. The physical properties of the granules were evaluated in terms of granule mean size and granule size uniformity. A predictive model for each individual response was proposed. In addition, optimum conditions for each response were also obtained. Finally, the effect of the granule mean size on the flowability of granules was also investigated

Synthesis and characterization of cost-effective and high-efficiency biochar for the adsorption of Pb2+ from wastewater

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the adsorption mechanism of Pb2+ in wastewater using activated carbon derived from inexpensive materials, specifically avocado, bitter orange, and walnut leaves, through a single-step chemical activation process. The activated carbon was prepared using sulfuric acid as an activator, with a particle size of 1 mm. The pyrolysis reactor (slow-pyrolysis) operated at 600 °C for 90 min with a nitrogen flow rate of 5 L/min. Batch experiments were conducted under various conditions to determine the optimal dosage (1.5 g/L), equilibrium contact time (180 min), and pH (6.5). The study focused on employing cost-effective and highly efficient adsorbents, namely biochar produced from tree leaves, for the adsorption process. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model accurately described the adsorption process, while the Freundlich isotherm model best fit the experimental data. These findings suggest that tree leaves can serve as cost-effective and efficient adsorbents for a wide range of applications. Furthermore, multiple adsorption factors were evaluated in batch mode, including contact duration, pH, adsorbent dosage, concentration of the Pb2+ solution, and temperature. The maximum adsorption capacities for the activated carbon derived from avocado, bitter orange, and walnut leaves were found to be 60.46, 59.42, and 58.48 mg/g, respectively. Thus, this study highlights the effectiveness and economic feasibility of using pyrolysis-derived activated carbon from low-cost materials for the removal of Pb2+ from wastewater

Synergistic degradation of Congo Red by hybrid advanced oxidation via ultraviolet light, persulfate, and hydrodynamic cavitation

In the present study, hybrid activation of sodium peroxydisulfate (PS) by hydrodynamic cavitation and ultraviolet radiation was investigated for Congo Red (CR) degradation. Experiments were conducted using the Box-Benken design on inlet pressure (2–6 bar), PS concentration (0–50 mg. L−1) and UV radiation power (0–32 W). According to the results, at the optimum point where the pressure, PS concentration and UV radiation power were equal to 4.5 bar, 30 mg. L−1 and 16 W respectively, 92.01% of decolorization was achieved. Among the investigated processes, HC/UV/PS was the best process with the rate constant and synergetic coefficient of 38.6 × 10−3 min−1 and 2.76, respectively. At the optimum conditions, increasing the pollutant concentration from 20 mg. L−1 to 80 mg. L−1 decrease degradation rate from 92.01 to 45.21. Presence of natural organic mater (NOM) in all concentrations inhibited the CR degradation. Quenching experiments revealed that in the HC/UV/PS hybrid AOP free radicals accounted for 63.4% of the CR degradation, while the contribution of sulfate (SRs) and hydroxyl radicals (HRs) was 53.1% and 46.9%, respectively