While the raw materials and intermediates for the numerous and diverse pharmaceutical products and processes may vary, one ingredient is virtually fundamental and common to all.While the raw materials and intermediates for the numerous and diverse pharmaceutical products and processes may vary, one ingredient is virtually fundamental and common to all. This ingredient is called simply, water.
Water however is not a simple ingredient. For pharmaceutical manufacturing the United States Pharmacopoeia delineates several different monographs for water, the most fundamental being Water for Injection and Purified Water. These monographs spell out the accepted processes for their preparation. For example, USP Water for Injection can only be made using distillation or reverse osmosis. The methods for preparation for USP Purified Water allow a far wider choice of primary treatment, including deionization.
While the monographs may appear limiting in their primary treatment selections, there is wide latitude in the choice of other elements that make up a functional pharmaceutical water system and it often seems as if no two systems are alike. This is so because system design depends upon many factors, including water source, chemical analysis, flow volume and personal preference. Hence systems include combinations of multi-media filters, carbon beds, cartridge filters, ultraviolet treatment, single and mixed bed deionization, multiple effect stills, vapor compression stills, etc.
One element that remains constant is the need for effective filtration in the early stages of the production process to prevent the fouling of downstream elements. ErtelAlsop filters play an integral part in the array of water purification tools available to the pharmaceutical industry for production of pharmaceutical waters. Pharma-Pak® stainless steel sanitary filter housings and sterilizable Zeta-Pak® cartridges find application after multi-media filters, activated carbon beds and DI resin beds. Aside from microbial and particulate reduction, Zeta-Pak® cartridges have a positive charge in aqueous environments and can provide pyrogen reduction.
Our expertise lies in the manufacture of the equipment and highly effective depth filter pads that can economically protect pleated pre-filters and final sterilizing filters. These include sanitary design plate and frame filter housings and sanitary design lenticular format filter cartridge housings plus a wide range of validated pharmaceutical grade filter pads.