Processing, June 2020

MIXING BLENDING Mixing Thickeners 101 When making any gel type product proper mixing of rheology modifiers or thickening agents is a crucial step in the production process By Christine Banaszek Charles Ross Son Company y colleagues and I have recently been receiving a flood of inquiries from companies looking to quickly produce hand sanitizer Many are small businesses starting M up a new line while others are companies that normally produce cosmetics or chemicals Universities laboratories and contract manufacturers and even distilleries are stepping up to the plate during the COVID 19 pandemic Amid this global health crisis we are suddenly and acutely aware of the contributions of small and large manufacturers in providing items previously taken for granted Before the pandemic when was the last time we collectively gave a second thought to the production and supply of hand sanitizer cleaning products gloves masks or toilet paper One silver lining is the response of the process industries to the crisis at hand that of resilience and agility I am fortunate to work for a 178 yearold manufacturer of mixing equipment a New Yorkheadquartered employee owned family started business that has survived wars plagues market depressions and recessions We remain fully operational across all five United States plants and are proud to support critical infrastructure and essential industries such as food and beverage pharmaceutical chemical and more From paints and inks when Brooklyn was a prominent paint manufacturing center in the early 1900 s to smokeless gun powder during World War I to lubricants and body finishes when the automotive industry took off to cosmetics when more women started wearing make up in the 1930 s and all the way to advanced adhesives coatings and battery materials in the internet and electronics age the sweeping number of applications that have shaped my companys history and more broadly the evolution of mixing technology itself is obviously intertwined with the changing demands of society Now and in the coming months one of those demands is hand sanitizer In the thick of things With that in mind a short refresher on mixing thickeners seemed fitting When making any gel type product proper mixing of rheology modifiers or thickening agents is a crucial step in the production process Thickeners may be classified into organic and inorganic groups The organic group includes cellulosic thickeners and derivatives CMC CMHEC HEC HMEC HPC HPMC etc natural gums agar carra Figure 1 Multi shaft mixer designed for single pot processing of viscous and air free gel formulations All images courtesy of Charles Ross Son Company 20 Processing JUNE 2020