Size Reduction
Mrs. Rajesh Kumari
Deptt. Of Food Technology
CBL Govt. Polytechnic, Bhiwani
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Objective
(i) What is size reduction
(ii) Importance of size reduction & its application
(iii) Methods of size reduction.
2
Identify this
Mixer 3
Mortar& pestle
chopper
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Size Reduction
I. What do you understand when I say size reduction
related to Pharmacy?
a. Definition :
Size Reduction or Comminution means reducing
drugs (vegetable and chemical substances) into
smaller, coarser or fine particles.
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II. Can you give some examples as to how we employ size
reduction in daily life
a. Cutting
b. Chopping
c. Crushing
d. Grinding
e. Milling
f. Micronizing
g. Trituration
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III. Can you classify the equipments or instruments which are
closely related to the above methods.
Table : 1 classification of Size reduction Equipment
Small Scale Large Scale
a. Cutting - Knife Cutter Mill
b. Chopping - Axe Onion Cutter
c. Crushing - Hammer (Sutthi) Hammer Mill
d. Grinding - Hand Grinder Disintegrator, Mixie
(Vissur Rayee)
e. Milling - Mortar & Pestle Milling Machine
(Rolu & Rokali) (Flour Mill)
f. Micronizing - -- Fluid Energy Mill or
Jet Mill or Micronizer
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IV. The selection of grinding and milling machinery
depends on:
• Physical & Chemical characteristics of the material
• Specifications of the final product
• The economics of the process
• The performance of the equipment
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V. Each instrument or equipment works on a
particular principle or stress (action)
• Can you mention and define them if not let us get
familiar with these terms
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1. Impact :
The act of one body striking another or
the force with which one thing hits another.
Mechanism of impact
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2. Attrition :
In this method due to rubbing action of two surfaces
which are moving relative to each other, resulting in
shear forces, the particle size is reduced.
Mechanism of attrition
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3. Cutting :
The material is cut on a small scale by means of a
sharp blade, knife, root cutter or any other sharp
instrument ; cutter mill is used on large scale.
Mechanism of cutting
12
4. Compression or Rolling :
In this method the material is crushed by application of
pressure between two rollers.
Mechanism of compression
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5. Shearing :
When the material is passing through the stationery
and rotating discs due to shear force, the size is
reduced (Colloid Mill).
Colloid mill Straight blunt mill
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General Characteristics of various types of mills
S Name of the Principle / Product Uses Not suitable
No Mill Action Size
1 Cutter Mill Cutting 20 – 80 Fibrous,crude(animal& Friable
mesh vegetable drug) material
2 Roller Mill Compre- 20–200 Soft material Abrasive
ssion mesh material
3 Hammer Mill Impact 4 – 325 Almost all drugs Abrasive
(Swing type) mesh material
4 Disintegrator Impact 20 – 80 Almost all drugs including Soft & Sticky
mesh very hard drugs mat.
5 Ball Mill Attrition & 20–200 Brittle drugs Soft material
Impact mesh
6 Micronizer / Attrition & 1 – 30 µm Moderately hard & friable Soft & Sticky
Fluid energy Impact material mat.
mill
7 Edge runner Crushing& 20 – 80 Almost all drugs Sticky material
mill & End Shearing mesh
runner mill
Table: 2 15
Objectives
• The objectives of size reduction.
• Disadvantages of size reduction.
• Factors that affect the size reduction.
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Advantages & Importance of Size reduction
(i) It improves appearance.
(ii) It increases surface area.
(iii) It facilitates absorption and bio-availability.
(iv) It improves the stability (suspension, emulsion).
Contd..
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Stoke’s Law – V d2 (Ss – S1) g
------------------
18 η
Where V = Velocity of globule
d = Radius of globule
Ss = Specific Gravity of the dispersed phase
S1 = Specific Gravity of the continuous phase
η = Viscosity of the continuous phase
g = Gravity constant
Contd..
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• As size of oil droplets in emulsion decreases the rate of
creaming decreases.
• In Case of suspension, when particle size decreases,
rate of sedimentation decreases.
(v) It facilitates extraction.
(vi) It facilitate mixing.
(vii) In aerosol and inhalation preparations.
(viii) Parental suspension.
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(v) It facilitate drying.
(vi) Opthalmic Suspension.
(vii) Increase in Viscosity.
(viii) Change of color.
(ix) Sustained action of dosage form depend upon
particle size.
(x) Upon size reduction, bulkiness increases.
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Disadvantages
• Loss of Aromatic Principles.
• Leading agglomeration.
• Change in polymorphic form.
• Degradation of drugs.
• Problem of preservation
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Factors which affect size reduction
• Hardness
• Toughness
• Stickiness
• Slipperiness
• Abrasiveness
• Temperature
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Factors which affect size reduction
• Ratio of feed size to product size
• Bulk density
• Potency or toxicity / physiological effects
• Purity required
• Material structure
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Selection of degree of size reduction of
material.
• Use of powder after its size reduction
• Because smaller the particle size costlier the size
reduction process.
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The basic principles governing the selection of
degree of size reduction are as follows :
• Drugs which are to be reduced in fine powder
• Administered in the form of powders and suspension
in mixtures.
• To be injected in suspension form.
• To be extracted depending on the following factors.
• Solvent or menstrum eg. Water or Alcohol.
• Drug / Menstrum ratio.
• Physical character of drug and localization of active
constituents.
• Method of Process used.
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Objective
• Manual methods used in size reduction
• Trituration
• Pulverization by intervention
• Levigation
• Hammer mill
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Manual Methods and equipment
(Small Scale Procedures)
Common operations once used in Pharmacy are
rarely employed by the community:
• Cutting
• Chopping
• Rasping
• Grating etc.,
Have been replaced by Mortar and Pestle, Spatula with
which most communition and mixing procedures are
presently conducted.
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Manually operated procedures employed
by prescription pharmacists today are
• Trituration
• Pulverization by intervention
• Levigation
Fig : 26.1 Mortar & pestle
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Trituration
• Refers to the process of reducing substances to fine
particles by rubbing in a mortar and pestle.
• Also designates whereby a mixture of fine powders is
intimately mixed in a mortar
• The circular mixing motion of the pestle on the powders
contained in a mortar results in blending them and in also
breaking up soft aggregates of powders
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Trituration
• By means of application of pestle on the mortar, crushing,
grinding also can be effected.
• When granular or crystalline materials are to be
incorporated into powdered product, these material are
comminuted individually and then blended together in
the mortar.
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Pulverization By Intervention
• Method of powdering to a fine state with a help of
another substance (Liquid) which can be easily removed
at the end of the process
Eg: Camphor (Alcohol)
Iodine crystals (ether)
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Levigation
• Is a process of wet grinding.
• Where a substance is reduced to an extremely fine state of
sub-division.
• By rubbing in a glass mortar or on a slab with the help of a
liquid in which it is insoluble.
• The liquid being called the levigating agent.
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Levigation
• Selected on the basis of its incompatibility with the
product.
• Eg: Chalk, kaolin (light), calamine and camphor etc.
• Water cannot be used as a levigating agent with zinc
oxide intended to be incorporated into an oleaginous
ointment base.
• Light liquid paraffin is the levigating agent of choice in
this state.
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Discuss about:
• Principle, construction, working,
• advantages, disadvantages, applications of each mill.
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As summarized in this table
S Name of the Mill Principle Product Uses Not
N / Action Size suitable
o
1 Cutter Mill Cutting 20 – 80 Fibrous, crude (animal & Friable
mesh vegetable drug) material
2 Roller Mill Compre- 20–200 Soft material Abrasive
ssion mesh material
3 Hammer Mill Impact 4 – 325 Almost all drugs Abrasive
(Swing type) mesh material
4 Disintegrator Impact 20 – 80 Almost all drugs including Soft &
mesh very hard drugs Sticky mat.
5 Ball Mill Attrition & 20–200 Brittle drugs Soft
Impact mesh material
6 Micronizer / Fluid Attrition & 1 – 30 Moderately hard & friable Soft &
energy mill Impact µm material Sticky mat.
7 Edge runner mill Crushing& 20 – 80 Almost all drugs Sticky
& End runner mill Shearing mesh material
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Table:1
Hammer Mill
Principle : impact
schematic diagram hammer mill
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Principle : impact
Different types of hammer mills
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Principal of Hammer mill
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Star hammer mill
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Different types of Fitzmil screens
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Hammer Mill
Rigidly mounted Mounted with Swivel joints
Disintegrator Hammer mill
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Construction
• Stout metal casing (S.S) may be undulated to increase
efficiency.
• Hammers
• 4 or more attached to central shaft.
• Mounted with swivel joints, so that they swing out
to radial position when shaft is rotated.
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Construction
• Can rotate horizontally / vertically / based on rotar
configuration.
• On upper part or centre of the casing is the feed
hopper.
• On lower part of casing, screen (sieve) of desired size
is fitted; it is replaceable.
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Working
• Material fed in grinding zone.
• In grinding zone, beaters revolve at very high speed
(5000 – 10000 rpm).
• Material thrown out centrifugally and ground by impact
of hammers or against the plates along the periphery
of the mill casing.
• If particle size of the material (feed) is less than that
of mesh size, it will pass through the sieve;
oversize particles retain in the zone (recycle).
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Applications
• Is versatile mill.
• Used for variety of materials.
• Wide range reduction (intermediate grades 4 – 325 #).
• Powdering of barks, leaves, roots, crystals and filter
cakes.
• In preparing of wet granules for compressed tablets.
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Advantages
• Rapid size reduction.
• Used for different types of material – dry material, wet
filter press cake, ointments and slurries.
• The product size can be controlled by variation of :
• Rotor speed
• Hammer type and number
• Size of mesh
• Feed rate
• Clearance between hammers and casing
Contd.. 46
• Simple to install and operate
• Easy to clean and operate as closed system
• Less contamination of product
• Operation is continuous.
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Disadvantages
• High speed causing heat generation
• Thermolabile materials or drugs
( gum, fat or resins may be affected)
• If the rate of speed is not controlled, mill may be
choked.
• Sticky material cannot be grinded as screen may get
choked.
• Not used for abrasive material.
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Objective
• Principal, construction, working, advantages,
disadvantages
• Applications of - Disintegrator
- Ball mill
- Fluid energy mill.
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The Disintegrator (Ross Beater Mill)
Principle : Impact
Schematic diagram of disintegrator
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Construction
• Consists of steel drum with central shaft.
• Shaft contains a disc with 4 fixed beaters.
• Speed 5000 – 7000 RPM.
• Inner upper surface is rough and undulating.
• Lower part has detachable screen (sieve) with definite
pore size.
• Beside the milling chamber dust bag is placed for
collecting the powder.
• Hopper directly fitted to the drum.
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Working
• The material is fed to the beaters.
• High velocity and undulation of the inner surface
facilitates the impact.
• Product is collected into closed receiver through the
screen.
• The beaters rotating at very high speed developing a
current inside the drum, which is allowed to pass
through an outlet having a chest (dust bag) retaining
the fine particles of the powder.
• Application : All types of drugs including very hard
drugs.
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Application:
1. All types of drugs including very hard drugs.
Advantages :
1. Rapid
2. Desired product size
3. Continuous process
4. Little contamination
Dis -advantages :
1. Drug should be dried before feeding which is
time consuming process.
2. Due to high speed, affect thermolabile material.
3. Problem of choking.
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Ball Mill or Pebble Mill or Pot Mill or Jar Mill
Principle : Impact and Attrition.
Ball mill
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Ball Mill
Diagram of Ball Mill
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Ball Mill
working of ball mill
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Construction
• Ball mill consists of hallow cylinder (made up of metal
(S.S), porcelain internally with rubber lined).
• The length of cylinder is slightly greater than its
diameter.
• The hallow cylinder rotates on its longitudinal axis,
fixed on the metallic frame.
• The cylinder consists of different sized iron balls,
depending on the size or capacity of the cylinder.
• To operate effectively, material from 30 to 50% of the
volume of the mill is required.
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Working
• Only 60% of feed is placed in the cylinder along with the
balls.
• The jars / drum revolve horizontally on its long axis.
• Balls move causing combined attrition and impact as
shown in the figure and causes size reduction.
• Finally the product is collected by opening the cylinder lid.
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Application
• Used for grinding of brittle drugs to fine powder.
• Used for sterile grinding.
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Advantages
• It produces very fine powder (100#).
• It is a continuous process, if sieve and classifier
attached.
• It can be used to grind toxic material.
• Economical.
• Ophthalmic and parental products milling can be done.
• A wide variety of material can be ground with different
degrees of hardness.
• No cross contamination due to easy cleaning.
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Disadvantages
• Ball mill is a very noisy machine.
• Wear occurs from the balls and from casing, causing
contamination of the product.
• Abrasive material cannot be ground.
• It is a slow process.
• At low speed, the balls will slide or roll over each other and
only negligible amount of size reduction will occur.
• At high speed, the balls will be thrown out to the wall by
centrifugal force and no grinding will occur.
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Fluid Energy Mill or Micronizer
Principle : Impact and Attrition.
The distinctive principle of ULTRAFINE equipment consists
of introducing the material to be pulverized into an air
current and thereafter submitting to :
a. Intense Turbulence
b. Changes of pressure
c. Vibration
Which progressively disintegrate the material or cause it to
shatter from within (as in the case of cellular matter)
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Construction and Function
1. It consists of a loop of pipe of diameter (20 – 200 mm)
depending on the height of the loop, which may be
upto 2 meters
Fluid energy mill 63
Construction and Function
2. A fluid usually air / gas is injected at high pressure jet
through nozzles at the bottom of the loop.
3. The high velocity of air (600 kilo pascals to 1.0 mega
pascals compressed air) creates turbulence / a state of
confusion, movement or agitation, into which the solid
particles are fed (solid inlet).
4. The impact and some attrition that is developed due to
high kinetic energy of the air in the elliptical loop helps
in the fracture of the particles.
5. A particle size classifier / filter is fixed in the mill to
allow only those particles, which are sufficiently
reduced.
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Application:
• Used whenever fine powders are required as in drugs
like antibiotics, sulphonamides and vitamins.
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Advantages :
1. A maximum degree of size reduction occurs with
this mill.
2. Useful for milling thermolabile drugs.
3. Contamination is not possible.
Dis -advantages :
1. The feed should be pre-treated to reduce the
particle size to the order of 100 mesh.
2. Skilled operators have to be employed.
3. It is expensive.
4. Soft, tacky and fibrous material cannot be milled.
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