Quality air solutions to mitigate vulnerabilities in Clean Rooms

Clean Rooms are imperative in eliminating the humidity and threatening contaminants from the area.=

Given the inherent nature of Clean Rooms, it finds critical application in the pharmaceutical sector for providing a contaminant-free environment. Clean Rooms are sought for their ability to achieve a conducive environment required for highly-sensitive and intricate processes. It is adept at ensuring low levels of airborne pollutants like dust, microbes, aerosol particles, bacteria, chemical vapors, etc., within the premises.

 

Clean room role in the pharma industry 

As the pharmaceutical sector holds a very critical place in the healthcare industry, Clean Rooms are imperative in eliminating the threatful contaminants from the area. If the contaminants are left unattended, it can highly impair the quality of the end products of the pharmaceutical industry. Clean Rooms are designed and constructed to suffice a controlled environment with intensively regulated and monitored temperature, humidity, air motion, air pressure flow patterns, viable organisms, airborne particles, etc. Consequently, it renders sterile and pure drugs and a germ-free atmosphere for medical and biological applications.

As various pharmaceutical products are highly hygroscopic, uncontrolled humidity in manufacturing facilities causes moisture absorption in fine powders. The clogging nature of powder disrupts the powder feed to the tabletting press. This powder inconsistency arising from moisture absorption is majorly responsible for the crumbling and clogging of tablets. As a result, it necessitates the deployment of quality air solutions to protect the integrity of Clean Rooms.

 

Humidity control mechanism 

Moisture is a constant source of trouble intervening with the various pharmaceutical processes. It is the primary cause of microbial growth and corrosion along with condensation on work surfaces leading to schedule delays and inferior quality products. Altogether, humidity often causes product spoilage resulting from contamination. Compounding the already existing problems, there are instances of heat damage and moisture intrusion resulting from difficulty adjusting the bed temperature and spraying rates due to variations in humidity. Additionally, humidity in air duct work offers just the right moist environment to foster the growth of bacterial colonies, further expediting the contamination process.

Therefore, an adequate humidity controlling mechanism should be in place to curb the moisture menace. Desiccant dehumidification technology is the most suitable solution for maintaining the dew points consistently at deficient levels by achieving -60°C. It keeps the Clean Room relative humidity between a narrow range of 35- 40 per cent RH for all round the-year operations. Humidity is very critical in Clean Rooms. As stated above, on the one hand, where too high humidity promotes bacterial growth, metal and equipment corrosion, condensation, and water absorption, on the other hand, low humidity results in the static build-up and discharge issues. Furthermore, poorly controlled humidity leaves uncomfortable working conditions for the employees.

The desiccant-based dehumidification rightly provides the RH level constantly maintained within the close bandwidth of ±2 per cent RH at a temperature below 20°C (70°F). The technology is highly efficient at reducing air moisture beyond the level achieved by a standard HVACgrade refrigeration system. The desiccant dehumidification works on passing the air through the desiccant medium that adsorbs moisture. It comes with greater dehumidifying power hence making use of a desiccant system along with air conditioning substantially reduces the load on the HVAC system. It is an excellent source of saving energy by adding to the HVAC system’s efficiency and reducing its chances of wear and tear.

 

Recommendation 

Along with humidity, air contamination is another concern in the Clean Room environment. Unclean air can affect the employee’s health due to its hazardous nature, full of harmful contaminants like hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, etc., that cause respiratory problems, headache, fatigue, and low productivity. The Gas Phase Filtration System is the most economical and practical process for removing corrosive gases.

Considering the crucial role of Clean Rooms in the pharmaceutical industry, it is highly recommended to employ quality air solutions to manufacture the highest quality products that meet the industry requirements.