Effects of Formulation Parameters and Process Variables on the Properties of Granules Obtained by Reactive Granulation

In this work, granulation between dodecyl-benzenesulfonic acid and sodium carbonate was investigated in a laboratory-scale high shear mixer. The effects offormulation parameters and process variables, including primary carbonate size, binder content, impeller speed, and operating temperature, were correlated to the properties ofthe product granules. Design ofexperiment and analysis ofvariance were combined to analyze the experimentaldata, and results showed that larger granule sizes with fewer fine particles can be obtained by employing higher binder contents and larger sodium carbonate sizes. The shear force ofthe impeller can extensively break oversized granules. The binder content exerted a contrasting effect on the flowability ofgranules formed with two kinds ofsodium carbonate, likely because ofdifferences in the liquid saturation ofthe solids. The dissolution rate determined by in-line size analysis showed that high binder contents were beneficialto dissolution performance, and the relationships between Hunter color and tested parameters were evaluated. The results ofthis work can be used as a reliable guidance for process controland optimization in powder detergent manufacturing.