In API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) manufacturing and packaging of various sensitive and important products, it is essential to maintain and protect their quality throughout shelf life. Desiccants play are an efficient solution for this process by absorbing excess moisture from the environment, preventing damage to sensitive materials. By keeping the surrounding area dry, and clean, desiccants help maintain the stability and shelf life of these API products, so they stay in their best quality. In this blog post, we will check out the role of desiccants in Research and API Manufacturing.
What are Desiccants?
Desiccants are highly adsorbent materials that can very efficiently absorb excess moisture and humidity from the surrounding air, and help keep things inside the packaging, or storage dry and prevent damage from excess humidity. They can be used in the form of small packets filled with desiccant materials such as Silica gel and placed to absorb excess moisture.
There are different types of desiccants that are used for various different applications and uses across industries, each have unique properties, here are the most common and widely used desiccants.
Silica Gel: This is the most common desiccant, often found in small packets in food and medicine packaging. It can absorb a lot of moisture without changing its size, and is non-toxic and inert in nature making it an ideal desiccant material for packaging of sensitive products.
Clay Desiccants: These desiccants are made from natural clay, and are highly effective and environmentally friendly in nature. They can absorb moisture during packaging and storage but may not hold as much when compared to silica gel.
Molecular Sieves: These are tiny materials mostly in the form of beads, with very small pores that can trap water molecules. They are used in situations where very low humidity is needed especially in large setting or other industrial processes and applications.
Activated Carbon: This adsorbent material is well known for its ability to absorb odors and chemicals, activated carbon also helps in moisture control and is mainly applied in different industrial applications and processes.
Silica Gel with Activated Carbon: This combination of desiccant materials when applied for moisture control can provide both moisture absorption and odor control, making it useful for various applications such as packaging, storage, purification, etc.
Silica Gel + Molecular Sieve: You can get enhanced moisture control when you use a combination of Silica gel and molecular sieves together. It is suitable for use with sensitive products that require a very dry environment during storage or transportation or other industrial processes.
Desiccants for Research
Desiccants can play an important role in research laboratories by keeping samples dry and preventing contamination. In many experiments, moisture can damage sensitive materials, leading to inaccurate results or damaged samples due to the growth of mold, mildew, etc. Researchers can use high-quality and high-purity desiccants to create a controlled environment that protects their work from humidity and moisture-related issues.
There are several types of desiccants that are commonly used in research settings.
Silica Gel Packets: These are small packets filled with silica gel, which absorb moisture effectively, and are generally placed in storage or packaging to keep the research samples dry.
Pillow Paks/Unit Paks: Similar to silica gel packets, these are larger pouches that contain desiccant materials, providing more moisture absorption for bigger containers, and can be customized based on the moisture control needs.
Canisters: These are reusable containers filled with desiccants that can be placed in labs to maintain low humidity levels.
Humidity Indicator Cards (HIC): These cards can change color based on the humidity levels in the packaging or storage of samples and other sensitive research settings, helping researchers monitor moisture in their environment.
Oxygen Scavengers: These help remove oxygen along with moisture, which is important for preserving sensitive samples that may degrade when exposed to air.
Oxygen Indicators: These indicate the presence of oxygen in a sealed environment, ensuring that samples remain protected.
Desiccant Tablets: Compact and effective, these tablets can be placed in various storage areas to absorb moisture.
Desiccants for API Manufacturing
In API manufacturing, desiccants are widely used, as they can effectively protect these important components from moisture, which can greatly compromise their quality and effectiveness. High levels of moisture can lead to chemical reactions that degrade potent and critical APIs, reducing their potency and shelf life. By using desiccants, manufacturers create a dry environment that helps maintain the stability and integrity of these ingredients throughout production and storage of their shelf life.
Here are some of the most widely and efficient types of desiccants that are commonly used in API manufacturing:
Silica Gel Packets: These packets are filled with silica gel, which is a highly effective moisture absorber solution, and are often placed in the packaging to keep APIs dry, moisture-free, and potent.
Pillow Paks: They are usually larger than standard packets, and provide increased moisture absorption for bigger containers or bulk storage, especially during long transit times.
Unit Paks: You can use unit paks that are tailored desiccant solutions and are mainly designed for specific applications, for optimal moisture control for different types of APIs.
Canisters: These reusable canisters that are filled with desiccants can be placed in storage areas to maintain low humidity levels and safeguard APIs and their effectiveness.
Humidity Indicator Cards (HIC): In the storage of APIs, based on humidity levels, these cards can help manufacturers monitor moisture effectively.
Oxygen Scavengers: These desiccants not only absorb moisture but also remove oxygen, which is crucial for preserving sensitive APIs that may degrade when exposed to air.
Oxygen Indicators: These can efficiently indicate whether oxygen is present in a sealed environment of API packaging and storage to ensure the protection of potent APIs.
Desiccant Tablets: They are efficient, compact, and effective, that can be used in various storage settings to absorb excess moisture from the environment.
Benefits of Using Desiccants
Since API manufacturing can generally deal with sensitive and high-purity elements, products, samples, and packaging, it is best to use good-quality desiccants. High or varying levels of moisture can damage sensitive samples and active pharmaceutical ingredients, leading to poor results or ineffective products. By absorbing excess moisture, desiccants create a dry environment that protects these materials. This helps maintain product quality and stability, ensuring that medicines and research samples remain effective and safe for use.
Comparison with Other Moisture Control Methods
When it comes to adsorbing moisture and humidity, there are many other moisture control methods available. Though desiccants and moisture absorbers have different roles in managing moisture, they both are applied in various processes and applications across industries.
Desiccants, like silica gel, absorb moisture from the air, creating a dry environment whereas, oxygen absorbers are used to remove oxygen, which helps prevent spoilage but does not specifically target humidity.
Desiccants are useful and more advantageous for moisture control with API manufacturing as compared to other moisture control methods as they are efficient, affordable, non-toxic, and easy to use. They can also be tailored for specific applications according to the process in use or the quantity needed.
Maintenance and Replacement
To maintain the quality and effectiveness of desiccants, keep them in a dry, cool place and avoid exposing them to moisture. You can check the packaging regularly to ensure they are sealed properly, and it is best to replace desiccants when you notice signs of degradation, such as a color change in humidity indicator cards or if they feel damp to the touch.
You can follow the manufacturer's guidelines and recommendations given for how often to replace desiccants, depending on how much you use them and the environment. By checking and replacing them regularly it can help keep your products safe from moisture damage.
Sorbchem India is the largest manufacturer and supplier of high-quality desiccants for research and API manufacturing.
