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Many orally administrated drugs exhibit poor bioavailability due to their limited solubility. The smartFilm technology is an innovative approach to improve the drug aqueous solubility, where the drug is embedded within the matrix of cellulose-based paper in an amorphous state, hence increasing its solubility. Despite its proven effectiveness, smartFilms, i.e., pieces of paper, exhibit limited flowability and are not easy to swallow, and thus oral administration is not convenient. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge of their mechanical behavior under compression. This study aimed to transform unloaded smartFilms, i.e., paper, into a flowable physical form and investigated its mechanical behavior when compressed. Granules made of paper were prepared via wet granulation and were compressed into tablets. The influence of using different amounts and forms of sucrose, as a binder, on the pharmaceutical properties of the produced granules and tablets was studied and the most suitable composition was identified by using instrumented die experiments. For this, the Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus were determined for different compaction force levels and the deformation behavior was estimated with the Heckel mathematical model. All granule batches showed good flowability with angle of repose values between 25–35°. Granule batches with ≤30% dry sucrose content produced tablets that fulfilled the European Pharmacopeia requirements, and the compaction behavior of the granules was found to be comparable to the behavior of classical binders and compression enhancers. Paper can be transferred into granules. These granules can be used as suitable intermediate products for the production of tablets made of paper in large, industrial scale.

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Optimizing or debottlenecking existing production plants is a challenging task. In this case study, an existing reversed phased chromatography polishing step for peptide purification was optimized with the help of a digital twin. The existing batch chromatography was depicted digitally with the general rate model. Model parameter determination and model validation was done with dedicated experiments. The digital twin was then used to identify optimized process variants, especially continuous chromatography steps. MCSGP was found to achieve high purities and yield but at the cost of productivity due to column synchronization. An alternative Continuous Twin Column chromatography process (CTCC) was established that eliminates unnecessary waiting times. Ensuring the same or higher purity compared to the batch process, the continuous process achieved a yield increase of 31% and productivity increase of 27.6%. Experimental long runs confirmed these results.

Das Presshärten ermöglicht als Kombinationsprozess aus Wärmebehandlung und Formgebung die Herstellung von hochfesten Karosseriestrukturbauteilen aus Stahl im Serienmaßstab. Der konventionelle Austenitisierungsprozess im Ofen bestimmt dabei maßgeblich die Prozessgesamtdauer. In dieser Arbeit wird ein alternativer Ansatz zur herkömmlichen, auf Zeit‐Temperatur‐Austenitisierungsschaubildern oder Erfahrungswerten beruhenden, Ermittlung der nötigen Austenitisierungszeit untersucht. Die Berechnung der optimalen Austenitisierungszeit basiert dabei auf experimentell gewonnenen Werkstoffkennwerten. Die Grundlage zur phänomenologischen Beschreibung des Austenitisierungsvorgangs bildet der durch den Hollomon‐Jaffe Parameter beschriebene Zusammenhang zwischen Temperatur und Zeit für den Reaktionsfortschritt thermisch aktivierter Prozesse. Die nötigen Werkstoffkennwerte werden mittels Austenitisierungsversuchen in einem Dilatometer anhand von Kleinproben bestimmt. Die Anwendbarkeit dieses Parameters zur Berechnung der optimalen Austenitisierungsdauer für isotherme und prozessnahe Temperaturführung wird für die Stähle 22MnB5 und X15Cr13 exemplarisch beschrieben und nachgewiesen.