Dispersion unit for the pharmaceutical industry CMC-ATEX

processdry

The CMC mixing unit is a system designed for a fast dispersion of hydrocolloid products such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), flours, carbopol, pectin, and guar or xanthan gum. These additives are widely used in industry on account of their multiple properties: as thickeners, jellifying agents, stabilisers, complexing agents, etc. The ATEX version of this equipment is designed for use with products with the potential to create an explosive atmosphere. The main application is to manufacture hydroalcoholic gels, which usually contain a significant amount of alcohol. The main ingredients of hydroalcoholic gels are: Alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol) 50-80% Water 0-40% Glycerin 0-20% Gelling agents (carbopol, hydroxypropyl cellulose, etc.) 0.5-5% Operating principle Hydrocolloid compounds are usually available in dry powder form, which must be diluted in water to obtain the desired colloidal solution. When these powders come into contact with water, lumps quickly form and it is difficult to obtain a homogeneous mixture using a conventional agitator. To overcome this problem, this mixing unit incorporates a rotor-stator mixer at the bottom of the tank that shears the product, thereby increasing the water-additive contact area. A cowles-type agitator fitted in the tank allows efficient circulation of the powder to the mixer lower head and also helps improve the dispersion time. A product can become very viscous when the process requires using high concentrations of gelling agents, so using an additional anchor type agitator to ensure a completely mixed product may be necessary.