Industry sector: Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products (NAF Code 2008: 2110Z)
Company activity: Manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients and products for the pharmaceutical industry
Company type: International
Year of company creation: 1994
Contact(s): Industrialisation
Company context
An expert in combining organic chemistry with advanced purification technologies, our client is a major player in process development, pilot operations and large-scale production. Specialising in the manufacture of APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), the company enables pharmaceutical laboratories to benefit from a long-term partnership with an experienced team. A leader in its field, the company is capable of providing unique services for the manufacture of drug substances, from clinical to commercial scale.
Filtration challenge
In its production process, our client was using activated carbon lenticular modules to decolourise a THF solution in order to produce a white powder.
Faced with supply difficulties for lenticular modules, and keen to remain particularly responsive to the demands of pharmaceutical laboratories, the industrialisation department asked us to propose a solution in the form of an activated carbon cartridge, compatible with the existing filter housings on site.
Pemflow filtration solution
Our cartridges are manufactured using high-purity activated carbons, such as NORIT grade SX Ultra. Of pharmaceutical quality, this carbon also meets the requirements of the Food Chemical Codex. This type of carbon is commonly used for API decolourisation.
Good to know
To remove coloured impurities produced in the reactor during the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, activated carbon is used. Made of porous carbonaceous material that retains undesirable molecules by adsorption, it allows purification and decolourisation of the synthesised products.
Prior to the industrialisation phase, we carried out comparative on-site trials against the existing solution. These tests were conducted on a mini filter housing from the AMAZON FILTERS Series 43, equipped with a 2-inch cartridge containing NORIT SX Ultra activated carbon.
Our client provided positive feedback following the trials.
Expert advice
Particular attention must be paid to the fluid flow velocity in order to optimise filtration quality without excessively slowing down the API production process. As organic adsorption kinetics are relatively slow, the right balance between productivity and filtration quality must be found.
To meet the client’s requirements, we selected the SupaCarb CP cartridges (high-performance activated carbon block cartridges) from AMAZON FILTERS.
These cartridges are manufactured from an extruded block specifically designed to maximise decolourisation and reduction of organic contaminants. The carbon block is produced from high-purity, microporous activated carbon, acid-washed and steam-activated, making it particularly well suited to pharmaceutical applications. The carbon block is protected by a polypropylene fibre prefiltration layer.
SupaPore CP cartridges are manufactured using the latest thermal bonding technologies, eliminating bypass. The result is a robust assembly, particularly suited to the extreme conditions encountered in the pharmaceutical (API) industry.
Two types of activated carbon cartridges were selected by our client:
- A version with nylon hardware
- And a version with PP hardware.
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