Driving sustainability in spray drying through enabling technologies

January 22, 2025

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Spray drying, widely used in the production of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) to improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, faces significant environmental and safety challenges due to its reliance on organic solvents like dichloromethane (DCM) and tetrahydrofuran (THF). These solvents, despite improving solubility, contribute to toxicity, ozone depletion, and waste generation. Transitioning to alternative solvents, optimizing processes, and employing advanced recovery techniques can address these issues, aligning with sustainability goals.

Efforts to enhance sustainability include reducing energy inputs through thermal efficiency improvements, applying cryogenic condensation for nearly complete solvent recovery, and utilizing adsorption methods like activated carbon. Despite these advancements, cost and complexity remain barriers.

Emerging technologies aim to reduce solvent use and toxicity. Examples include heating solvent solutions below their boiling points or using kinetic heating processes to increase solubility without thermal degradation. Volatile processing aids like acetic acid and ammonia, though less hazardous, further improve solubility and are removed during the drying process.

These innovations allow for reduced solvent volumes, faster processing times, and less environmental impact, enabling a greener approach to manufacturing while maintaining efficacy. Such advancements underscore the pharmaceutical industry's commitment to sustainable practices in drug production.