Nitrogen in the pharmaceutical industry

Like the food packaging and chemical industries, the pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on nitrogen for its various applications. In fact, pharmaceutical companies need a reliable source of high purity nitrogen and can take advantage of this by making their own nitrogen to reduce costs while controlling quality and increasing efficiency. Let's take a look at why nitrogen is a key element for this industry.

↪ Link tip:  Everything you need to know about nitrogen on-site generation

One of the greatest advantages of nitrogen is that it is a dry, inert gas; that is, it does not react with other elements. This makes N2 extremely useful as a substitute for a dangerous or undesirable atmospheric gas such as oxygen. Nitrogen reduces the presence of oxygen, which can act as a catalyst for combustion or negatively affect product quality.
Nitrogen can also be used to control oxygen levels in a workroom, laboratory, or an entire facility. Finally, nitrogen can help to maintain the sterility and cleanliness of pharmaceutical products.

Here are some examples of nitrogen gas used in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes:

• Inert: Nitrogen blanketing reduces the presence of oxygen by replacing it with nitrogen. This prevents rapid oxidation, corrosion, and rust, suppresses fire, helps prevent burns, and ensures that high-purity pharmaceutical ingredients remain pure during manufacture.
• Nitrogen purge: This is a widely used technique in which the oxygen is removed from the packaging prior to sealing in order to preserve and protect the product during transport and to protect it again from air contamination. Examples of items that are often packed with nitrogen gas include blister-packaged drugs, doctor's office test kits, blood bags, sample containers, and sterile medical devices.
• Product transfer: In pharmaceutical manufacturing, nitrogen is often used to move a reaction mixture from one container to another. The use of a safe, inert gas for the transfer of liquid or powdered drugs is critical as they can be dangerous if handled incorrectly. Many pharmaceutical ingredients can be damaged or even explode if they come in contact with oxygen or water vapor.

Switching to the on-site production of gaseous nitrogen can help pharmaceutical facilities make considerable savings. On-site nitrogen generation improves production flexibility by ensuring that a company has the nitrogen it needs, in the purity it needs, when it is needed. N2 production also frees up space for the storage of nitrogen bottles (full and empty) and can reduce a company's carbon footprint. It is very easy to financially compare the production of your own nitrogen with the purchase of liquids filled with N2 or high-pressure containers.