Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/666166
C 22 April 2016 Tablets & Capsules emission control Treating volatile exhaust streams from coating and drying operations Jeff Kudronowicz Anguil Environmental Systems Capturing and destroying harmful emissions from pharmaceu- tical processes can be challenging. It's not because the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be difficult to destroy using catalytic or thermal techniques. It's because their concentrations are so high. These process streams raise safety concerns, both when they're collected in vents and when they reach the final combustion equipment. This article discusses the options. atalytic and thermal oxidation are the two best tech- nologies for destroying VOCs in emissions from pharma- ceutical and other operations. Both use high-temperature combustion to break down pollutants, leaving only carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), heat, and water vapor. Pharmaceutical operations, however, typically require customized emis- sion control systems to handle the high VOC concentra- tions that emanate from tablet coating, fluid-bed process- ing, and tray drying. Often the concentrations reach the explosive range, which means the emissions must be diluted before they're introduced to an oxidizer to ensure a safe operation that protects employees and property.