Granulation: A Comprehensive Guide

Granulation is an important process applied in various industries; pharmaceutical, Agriculture, Food science, Mining, Construction and the Chemical industry. It involves the use of a binder to form a bulky granule from fine powder/coarse particles by agglomeration technique. The adoption of the granulation process allows different sectors to improve product uniformity and effectiveness. Additionally it positively influences logistic efficiency through reducing the volume per unit weight of the final blend, reduce dust formation (important during storage and transport and for preventing contamination) and ensure easy handling of product. 

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This blog series will concentrate on exploring the advantages, current trends, and future prospects of granulation within the agricultural sector. Our goal is to deliver essential information applicable to various uses, including granulation for fertilizers, animal feed, and soil conditioning. A general overview on granulation, techniques, significance of the process and understanding the ideal process for your formulation needs will cover our first blog post. 

The granulation process involves two techniques, dry and wet granulation. Selection between these depends on the ideal product characteristics, material properties, cost (energy consumption & equipment), process scalability and environmental impact to name a few. The most cost efficient process, with minimal requirement for resources is Dry granulation. This involved the use of mechanical compression or compaction to achieve agglomeration of starting powder material.

Additionally, it obviates the need for a liquid binder therefore eliminating additional production steps. Although this process is highly favoured by small scale manufacturers due to its low energy and resource requirement, its applicability is limited. Therefore wet granulation is the preferred method of granulation despite the inclusion of costly and time consuming steps such massing, drying and screening. This is mainly because wet granulation improves material flowability, eliminates the need to use high pressure during compression (some active ingredients are sensitive to high pressure), uniform particle size, and requires shorter processing time. This method is particularly popular in the fertilization industry as it allows producers to create customized manure as required by the farmer.

Use of granulation in fertilizer formulation enables producers to achieve precise nutrient dosage depending on the farmers' needs, therefore offering all the necessary nutrients in a single compact granule.

Dry granulation is the process of forming particles'i.e., granulates or granules'from dry powder or powder blend without adding liquid to aid in the process. It serves as an established manufacturing process in the chemical, life science, and pharmaceutical industries, playing a key role in preparing powdered material for further processing.

The following article provides on overview of dry granulation, outlining what it is, its key advantages, and its typical applications.

What Is Dry Granulation?

Granulation is a mechanical process used to change the physical properties of a powder or powder blend. Flow characteristics, density, and particle size are the primary parameters influenced by this process.   Granulation processes are employed when the raw material powder or blend exhibits behavior properties that hinder other manufacturing processes.  Among these are poor flow ('bridging,' 'rat-holing,' etc.) poor compressibility, component segregation, and inappropriate particle size to name a few.

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In principle, two different processes for the production of granules can be used.

• Wet granulation
• Dry granulation

In so-called wet granulation, binders are added in liquid form to the powders. The binder, usually based on water or alcohol, acts as an adhesive, so that individual particles are connected to each other via the liquid bridges. This is often referred to as agglomeration.  Wet granulation may require a downstream drying process to reduce the moisture in the granules. Both the addition of binders and the drying process can have a negative impact on the quality of the granules and the active ingredients.

In dry granulation, granules of the desired quality (density, particle size distribution, porosity) are generated in a two-step process by compacting and a subsequent milling step.. The addition of binders with subsequent drying process is not required here

Roller compaction is a well-established manufacturing process accepted in multiple industries around the world It produces densified material by compressing powders between two counter-rotating rollers. The densified flakes or ribbons, are then milled via a downstream granulation unit into well-flowing and granules of a desired size. Among other things, Alexanderwerk roller presses are characterized by their particularly gentle two step granulation. The Alexanderwerk machine design for the compression process is unique, as the vertically aligned rollers, in conjunction with a special control logic, continuously produce flakes of consistent thickness and density, which is essential for a consistent granule quality.

Advantages of Dry Granulation

Compared to other material processing methods, dry granulation offers a number of advantages, such as:

Smaller Space Requirements

In material processing facilities, floor space is always at a premium. However, in comparison to wet granulation processes, dry granulation machines'especially roller compactors'generally take up much less space.

Broader Processing Versatility

The dry granulation process readily accommodates both batch and continuous operations. This flexibility makes it ideal for small-scale and large-scale material processing applications.

Greater Cost Efficiency

In material processing facilities, the key to maximizing profits is adopting more cost-effective processing techniques and technologies. Dry granulation serves as a lower-cost method of processing powder and powder blends. It does not require the use of a liquid binding agent, which eliminates the need for separate moisture addition and material drying stages. Compared to wet granulation, this distinction saves on material, labor, and energy costs.

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