Use of powdered cellulose for the production of pellets by extrusion/spheronization.

The use of powdered cellulose instead of microcrystalline cellulose in the extrusion/spheronization process was investigated. The aim of the study was to assess differences between two types of powdered cellulose using a 2(4-1) fractional factorial design. Water content and amount of binder were found to be most important while type of cellulose and screw speed had only negligible influence on the extrusion process and the resulting pellets. Pellets obtained with powdered celluloses showed higher porosities and faster dissolution rates compared with those made with microcrystalline cellulose. Image analysis was found to be an appropriate method for the simultaneous characterization of pellet size and shape.