At the SEPAWA congress for the detergents/cleansers, cosmetics and fragrance industry in Europe, taking place in Berlin, Germany (23–25 October), the plant engineering and process development specialist, Glatt, will showcase current research activities and solutions for the development of contemporary, high-performance ingredients.

Under pressure from online media, YouTube stars, environmentalists and plastic waste activists, to name a few, many branches of industry are having to rethink their eco policies. And, because retailers are also cultivating their better-for-you image and increasingly eschewing unappealing and synthetic raw materials, more and more manufacturers are faced with the challenge of replacing certain ingredients or developing completely new recipes.
For both applications, fluid and spouted bed technologies offer a number of design possibilities when it comes to particle design, including the washing of stabilizers, enzymes, polymers, fragrances and flavors, and optimizing the production and protection of other active substances.

Spray granulation, spray agglomeration, spray coating or spray encapsulation (microencapsulation) can be used to enhance the properties of sensitive raw materials for new formulations and functionalize particles. Dissolution, release behaviour and homogeneity parameters can be improved to guarantee optimum cleaning activity with the minimum use of raw materials. In addition, because they can then be better, more specifically and more reliably compacted and dosed, packaging design savings can also be achieved.

At the event, process engineer Katja Oppermann, Glatt Process Technology Food, Feed & Fine Chemicals, will give a lecture on “Process options in fluidized bed technology for value-adding product forms” and explain how the development of innovative products depends on state-of-the-art technologies. She will give an overview of Glatt’s current research activities, provide examples of how the various process principles are applied, examine how specific particle structures can be designed using technical plant configurations and discuss which drying principles and technologies are essential for optimum product performance.