Processing innovative particulate

With the recent advancement in the pharmaceutical technology, new and innovative techniques are being employed in the fabrication of polymeric nano/microparticles (Table 57.3). A number of review articles and chapters describing various aspects of particle preparation and characterization have been published in the last few decades. - Hence we are outlining some of the techniques used in the preparation of particles, which are also used for oral peptide delivery. Particles are prepared mainly by two processes. The first process is the in situ polymerization of monomer through suitable polymerization process to yield polymeric particulates. The second process is based on the dispersion of well-characterized preformed polymers of synthetic or natural origin using a suitable technique (Scheme 57.2). 

An interesting example of user application of non-air quality monitoring data has recently been reported (e.g., Trijonis, and Yuan Husar, et al. ). Visibility observations have been taken for many years at airports for aviation safety. There is circumstantial evidence that reduced visibility under certain conditions is a measure of pollution associated with suspended particulate matter, in the size range 3ym in diameter. Airport visibility observations taken over many years have been suggested as a surrogate for pollution. The analysis of such data has provided a provocative indicator of the influence of industrialization in rural areas of both eastern and western United States. Thus, we see that data taken for a completely different application can be applied by innovative investigators in the environmental field when there is motivation to characterize poorly understood processes. 

More innovative are the efforts to develop hot gas cleanup systems. In this case, the particulate control system is integrated in the process and a failure may have dramatic effects on the components downstream. It is quite obvious that the future of combined cycles based on pressurized fluidized bed combustion relies almost entirely on the emergence of efficient and reliable hot gas cleanup systems. Research on that subject should be encouraged. 

ZAAH acknowledges the SLAB Fellowship (The Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia). The authors also thank Melbourne Ventures Pty. Ltd., The University of Melbourne for funding (Growing Innovation Fund (GIF)), Dr Andrea O Connor (Particulate Fluids Processing Centre (PFPC), The University of Melbourne for use of facilities and Sabina Zahirovic (Melbourne Venture Pty. Ltd) for helpful discussion. 

---