Development of a continuous flow process for the synthesis of porous silica particles

Purpose and goal

The purpose of this project was to develop an efficient process that can be used on commercial scale to manufacture silica particles of a higher quality. Silica particles is the most commonly used tool for quality control of both pharmaceuticals, food and beverages. An improved product for quality control will enable better control of pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, showing that they are of a high quality and does not contain any unwanted chemicals and additives. see attachment 2

Results and expected effects

3 products of different particle size are scheduled for launch during the second half of 2014. A large number of customers have shown a strong interest in these products, and provided that the launch is according to plan it will have a huge positive effect on Nanologica´s fincancial results. The process has been scaled from being able to make a few grams in the lab to reproducibly meet the demand of several hundred kilos of the desired quality. During the course of the project several people have been employed and the company has grown. see attachment 2

Approach and implementation

The approach with an initial phase including Design of Experiments was very successful. Critical parameters were identified, leading to an increased understanding of the process. This was followed by a clear focus on development and upscaling, as well as critical evaluation of both the material and the process. It turned out that the flow technology was not optimal for this synthesis, leading to more internal resources being spent while less external resources were used. See attachment 2