A Comprehensive Review of Distillation in The Phar
A Comprehensive Review of Distillation in The Phar
REVIEW ARTICLE
Publication history: Received on 12th April; Revised on 15th May; Accepted on 18th May 2024
Abstract: Distillation processes play a pivotal role in the pharmaceutical industry for the purification of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs), intermediates, and solvent recovery. This summary explores the fundamental principles governing
distillation, including mass transfer and phase equilibrium concepts. It delves into various distillation methods employed in
pharmaceutical engineering, encompassing fractional distillation, azeotropic/extractive distillation, steam distillation, vacuum
distillation, membrane distillation, and molecular distillation. Recent advancements in distillation technology, such as process
intensification, miniaturization, and integration with other separation processes, are highlighted. The current state of distillation
in pharmaceutical engineering is discussed, addressing regulatory considerations, solvent selection, and recovery challenges.
Future prospects emphasize the need for energy-efficient and sustainable processes, advanced distillation technologies, process
modeling and optimization, continuous manufacturing integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These efforts aim to
drive innovation and address the evolving needs of the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring the continued importance of
distillation in the purification and separation of pharmaceutical compounds.
1. Introduction
Distillation is a widely used separation technique in the pharmaceutical industry for the effective removal or exchange of solvents
during the isolation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or intermediates. Modeling distillation processes can aid in solvent
selection and significantly reduce the number of laboratory experiments required to optimize distillation parameters [1]. While
distillation is a technically mature process, it faces challenges such as high capital investment and excessive energy consumption.
Therefore, investigating and developing new, highly efficient mass transfer units and energy-saving distillation methods is of
substantial socio-economic importance [2]. The term "distillation" refers to a general class of techniques used to separate
components from a mixture based on their differences in volatility. In general, a distillation system involves heating the liquid
mixture to the vapor state, allowing the selective condensation and withdrawal of the desired component(s). When the vapor and
liquid phases flow in a concurrent direction, the separation efficiency is limited to a single stage. If higher separation efficiency is
required, the liquid and vapor are brought into counter-current contact, a process known as fractional distillation, which is one of
the most widely used separation techniques in the chemical process industry [3]. This review will discuss the basic principles of
distillation, different types of distillation processes, recent advancements in distillation technology, and future prospects for
distillation in pharmaceutical engineering.[6].
2. Overview of distillation
2.1. Principle
The rate of separation in distillation processes is governed by mass transfer, while the extent of separation is controlled by
thermodynamic equilibrium. Miniaturizing the separation process offers the advantage of producing wide gradients and high
surface-to-volume ratios, which enhance mass transfer performance. However, establishing such an interface in microchannels is a
significant challenge, as many conventional chemical separation processes, including distillation, absorption, and stripping, rely on
mass transfer across a gas-liquid interface [3]
Corresponding author: Harmya Nekkanti
Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0.
Journal of Pharma Insights and Research, 2024, 02(03), 138-145
In distillation, the second phase is generated by the partial vaporization of the liquid feed. This approach avoids the need for an
auxiliary substance, often referred to as a mass separating agent, which would require expensive recovery. The only energy
required for distillation is heat, which can be easily dissipated from the system, making it one of the key advantages of distillation
[4].
Mass transfer effects are considered in the design of distillation columns. The column design equations incorporating mass
transfer effects are similar to the traditional design equations and are equally straightforward to calculate numerically. Mass
transfer effects do not alter the pinch-point curves or the pitchfork distillation boundaries. However, mass transfer can influence
the composition trajectories, potentially causing them to cross the pinch-point curves. By incorporating mass transfer into the
design equations, the actual number of stages (or column height) can be approximated. The curvature of the composition
trajectory may significantly impact the location of the feed stage and the overall number of stages. For columns with a very sharp
split, mass transfer effects have no impact on the minimum reflux [5].
In practice, distillation requires intimate contact between vapor and liquid under conditions that facilitate the desired components
of the liquid entering the vapor phase. This process is governed by vapor-liquid equilibrium. Many distillation techniques aim to
determine how closely the vapor-liquid equilibrium can be approached. Regardless, it is necessary to separate the liquid and vapor
phases afterward. The vapor and liquid are brought into intimate contact through counter-current or cross-current flow, and mass
exchange occurs due to the thermodynamic non-equilibrium between the two phases. The phases produced during distillation are
formed by evaporation and condensation of the initial mixture. The separation process can only be controlled by the heat supply
[4]
Azeotropes are mixtures where the boiling point of the mixture may be higher or lower than both of its components, resulting
from intermolecular interactions between the species in the mixture. When the liquids in an azeotrope evaporate, the vapor has an
identical composition to the mixture, making separation by conventional distillation techniques challenging [6]. To remove the
azeotropic point and achieve separation, a heavy entrainer can be introduced to improve the relative volatility of the original
components in counter-current contact [8]. Although azeotropic distillation can be improved in certain situations using various
methods, such as adding a solvent that freely mixes with one component but not the other (extractive distillation), a chemical that
reacts with one component but not the other (reactive distillation), or ionic salts that alter the volatilities of the mixtures.
Collectively, these techniques are known as azeotropic distillation [6].
Simple Vacuum Distillation: Employed when higher vacuum levels are not required. Examples include the Perkin
Triangle and rotating evaporators.
High Vacuum Distillation: Used when the separation requires higher vacuum levels. Distillate purity is higher compared
to other distillation methods, and this approach is used to separate and purify thermally unstable mixtures [6].
Vacuum distillation (VD) is a widely employed separation technique that takes advantage of the behavior of certain
thermosensitive compounds under vacuum conditions. The lower pressure at which VD operates reduces the boiling
temperatures of the compounds to be separated and increases their relative volatility. This preservation of the desirable features of
thermally sensitive compounds is a significant advantage of VD [15].
Processes involved in fractional distillation include extractive distillation, vacuum distillation, stabilization, topping, rectification,
exhausting, and stripping. In general, the separation process of distillation is used to separate a liquid mixture of two (binary) or
more (multi-component) substances into their component parts. The components that need to be separated are typically miscible
liquids with different boiling points and volatilities (Figure 1b). The separation is achieved through this thermal unit operation,
which utilizes differences in vapor pressure. The process involves heating the vapor or liquid mixture, causing the more volatile
components to evaporate, condense, and be allowed to drip or separate, also known as distillation or destillare [14].
The main difference between fractional and simple distillation is that the former involves repeating a similar process in successive
cycles. Each cycle produces a mixture enriched in the more volatile component compared to the previous one. Fractional
distillation becomes crucial when the liquids in the initial mixture have boiling points so close that simple distillation is insufficient
to purify either component. In fractional distillation, the vapor emerging from the distillation pot is repeatedly condensed and re-
evaporated in a fractionating column. After a few of these re-condensation/re-evaporation cycles, there should be a moderate
amount of higher-boiling components in the lower-boiling fraction, resulting in a more precise separation of the liquids
The fundamental principle behind MD is the difference in mean free path lengths of the molecules at various pressure and
temperature conditions. At high vacuum, the mean free path of the molecules becomes significantly larger than the dimensions of
the distillation equipment, allowing for a more efficient separation based on the molecular properties rather than the bulk
properties of the mixture [17].
Evaporation: The feed mixture is heated, causing the more volatile components to evaporate from the surface into the
vacuum chamber.
Molecular Flow: The evaporated molecules travel in a straight line without colliding with each other due to the high
vacuum conditions.
Condensation: The vapor molecules condense on a cooled surface, typically a condenser, where they are collected as the
distillate.
Residue Formation: The less volatile components remain as a residue on the heated surface or evaporator [18].
Centrifugal Molecular Distillation: This technique employs a rotating evaporator and condenser to enhance the
separation efficiency and throughput [20].
Wiped-Film Molecular Distillation: A thin film of the feed mixture is continuously spread over a heated surface,
improving heat and mass transfer rates [21].
Short-Path Molecular Distillation: This approach uses a reduced path length between the evaporator and condenser,
minimizing intermolecular collisions and improving separation [22].
Membrane-Assisted Molecular Distillation: Combining MD with membrane technology to enhance selectivity and energy
efficiency [23]
6. Conclusion
Distillation is an indispensable separation technique widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry for the purification of active
pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates, and solvent recovery. This article provides a comprehensive understanding of the
fundamental principles governing distillation processes, including mass transfer and phase equilibrium. It explores various
distillation methods utilized in pharmaceutical engineering, such as fractional distillation, azeotropic/extractive distillation, steam
distillation, vacuum distillation, membrane distillation, and molecular distillation. Recent advancements in distillation technology,
including process intensification, miniaturization, and integration with other separation processes, are highlighted. The current
state of distillation in pharmaceutical engineering, addressing regulatory considerations, solvent selection, and recovery challenges,
is discussed. Future prospects emphasize the need for energy-efficient and sustainable processes, advanced distillation
technologies, process modeling and optimization, continuous manufacturing integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration to
drive innovation and address evolving industry needs.
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