RESUMO
The aim of this paper was to describe the influence of high-shear wet granulation process parameters on tablet tensile strength and compaction behavior of a powder mixture and granules containing hydralazine. The hydralazine powder mixture and eight types of granules were compacted into tablets and evaluated using the Heckel, Kawakita and Adams analyses. The granules were created using two types of granulation liquid (distilled water and aqueous solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone), at different impeller speeds (500 and 700 rpm) and with different wet massing times (without wet massing and for 2 min). Granulation resulted in improved compressibility, reduced dustiness and narrower particle-size distribution. A significant influence of wet massing time on parameters from the Kawakita and Adams analysis was found. Wet massing time had an equally significant effect on tablet tensile strength, regardless of the granulation liquid used. Granules formed with the same wet massing time showed the same trends in tabletability graphs. Tablets created using a single-tablet press (batch compaction) and an eccentric tablet press showed opposite values of tensile strength. Tablets from granules with a higher bulk density showed lower strength during batch compaction and, conversely, higher strength during eccentric tableting.
RESUMO
Nanotechnology offers new opportunities for the development of novel materials and strategies that improve technology and industry. This applies especially to agriculture, and our previous field studies have indicated that zinc oxide nanoparticles provide promising nano-fertilizer dispersion in sustainable agriculture. However, little is known about the precise ZnO-NP effects on legumes. Herein, 1 mg·L-1 ZnO-NP spray was dispersed on lentil plants to establish the direct NP effects on lentil production, seed nutritional quality, and stress response under field conditions. Although ZnO-NP exposure positively affected yield, thousand-seed weight and the number of pods per plant, there was no statistically significant difference in nutrient and anti-nutrient content in treated and untreated plant seeds. In contrast, the lentil water stress level was affected, and the stress response resulted in statistically significant changes in stomatal conductance, crop water stress index, and plant temperature. Foliar application of low ZnO-NP concentrations therefore proved promising in increasing crop production under field conditions, and this confirms ZnO-NP use as a viable strategy for sustainable agriculture.
RESUMO
The aim of the work was to analyze the influence of process parameters of high shear granulation on the process yield and on the morphology of granules on the basis of dynamic image analysis. The amount of added granulation liquid had a significant effect on all monitored granulometric parameters and caused significant changes in the yield of the process. In regard of the shape, the most spherical granules with the smoothest surface were formed at a liquid to solid ratio of ≈1. The smallest granules were formed at an impeller speed of 700 rpm, but the granules formed at 500 rpm showed both the most desirable shape and the highest process yield. Variation in the shape factors relied not only on the process parameters, but also on the area equivalent diameter of the individual granules in the batch. A linear relationship was found between the amount of granulation liquid and the compressibility of the granules. Using response surface methodology, models for predicting the size of granules and process yield related to the amount of added liquid and the impeller speed were generated, on the basis of which the size of granules and yield can be determined with great accuracy.