The Role of Contact Angle in High Shear Granulation

Agglomeration of powders into larger granules is a key step in many industrial processes, from the manufacture of fertiliser pellets to pharmaceutical tablets. High shear granulation describes the action of mixing solid powder with a liquid binder to produce these granules. The physical attributes of these granules (size, porosity etc.) are determined by the complex interaction of the chemical and physical properties of the powder and binder, as well as the mixing procedure. Traditionally, obtaining required properties has been regarded as an ?art? rather than science, and much recent work has focussed on determining the role of individual parameters that control the granulation process. One often neglected aspect is the contact angle between powder and binder, which is the focus of this presentation.