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24 May 2018 Tablets & Capsules Reduced environmental impact. Vacuum technology can also help pharmaceutical processors comply with FDA and EPA wastewater collection guidelines. Wet cen- tral pharmaceutical vacuum systems are specifically designed to help pharmaceutical facilities comply with regulations that prohibit the disposal of liquids contain- ing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and non-reg- ulated pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) into municipal wastewater sewer systems and municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This pharmaceutical liquid recovery system provides multiple hose connections located throughout a facility where washdown processes occur. The liquid generated from the washdown process (containing APIs and/or PPCPs) is vacuumed into a sanitary tubing network and then collected in a wet separator. For vertical tubing runs, special valves prevent the liquid from traveling backwards through the tubing when the system shuts down. A filter made from a washable, corrosion-resistant fil- ter media separates the contaminated liquid from the air- stream, and an integral pump transfers the solution to an in-house treatment system. This type of industrial vac- uum system typically includes a full controls package, liq- uid level sensors, sanitary construction, and protective secondary containment in the event of a contaminant release during maintenance or normal operation. Pharmaceutical vacuum systems can also be used to prevent dry solids from entering drains and being carried to WWTPs, which can cost companies thousands of dol- lars per month in back charges. Pharmaceutical vacuum systems use techniques borrowed from other industries to separate the collected solids from the vacuum airstream for safe disposal and are constructed of stainless steel and designed to be explosion proof. Regardless of the type of vacuum transfer equipment your pharmaceutical process requires, working with an experienced supplier will help ensure that you get the right equipment for the job and realize the benefits such a system can provide. Doan Pendleton is vice president at Vac-U-Max (973 759 4600, www.vac-u-max.com). He is an expert in vacuum tech- nology and has nearly 30 years of experience designing and engineering vacuum conveying systems and industrial vacuum cleaners. which increases the incidence of fugitive dust and worker safety issues. Decreased loading time. Many types of pharmaceuti- cal equipment, such as blenders, mixers, feeders, and reactors require either a mezzanine level for manual load- ing, a drum loader, or vacuum conveyor for automatic loading. While a drum loader is more efficient than man- ual loading, only one drum can be loaded at a time, so material loading is still time-consuming. Also, some applications may require that you add multiple ingredi- ents to the drums before loading the blender or reactor, which further slows the process. A packaged pneumatic conveying system can help speed up the loading process for equipment capable of operating under a vacuum. The system includes the power source, filters, controls, and adapters, but rather than including a collection bin or hopper, the blender, mixer, or reactor acts as the primary receiving vessel. Such systems are configured specifically for each applica- tion using standard components and designed to mini- mize carryover, which is material that passes through the vessel and is captured by the filter between the vessel and the vacuum pump. Both standing and suspended conveying systems are available. A standing unit is readily accessible for clean- ing and can be equipped with casters, allowing a single unit to service more than one blender. In addition, once the blender is loaded and equalized, carryover releases into an airtight vessel allowing for reuse or safe disposal. With a suspended unit, once the blender is loaded and equalized, carryover automatically discharges back into the blender, eliminating the need to handle the material manually. Both conveying system types are easy to take apart without tools, so cleanup between batches and products takes less than an hour. Standard maintenance includes washing down equipment and changing out bags, filters, and hoses (when using different hoses for each material). Prevention of material spills and mishandling. Manually scooping a tablet granulation into a tablet press can lead to spills or mishandling. A vacuum tablet press loader protects the formulation from contamination and spills, preventing waste. Vacuum tablet press loaders are fully enclosed, turnkey systems that automatically convey tablet granulations from drums or other containers or equipment to surge bins mounted above the tablet press. They are available for single- and dual-hopper tablet presses and their construction is USDA approved. A tube-hopper material receiver with vertical sides is located above each surge bin to minimize material hang-up, and a control panel and vacuum pump are located in an adjacent room. A single vacuum pump is sufficient to provide vacuum for all the material receivers above multiple tablet presses.