Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical
The pharmaceutical process usually involves raw material extraction, fermentation, separation, purification, drying and many other complex steps, all of which require filtration equipment. Filter presses are essential solid–liquid separation devices in modern pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.
Pharmaceutical filter presses are commonly used for API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) crystal filtration, as well as for separating vitamins, antibiotics and vaccine fermentation broths; separating traditional Chinese medicine extracts and residues; intermediate fine filtration of injections and oral liquids; and harmless treatment of wastewater and solid residues.
Quick answer: Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical plants use filter presses for three jobs: recovering a solid product or intermediate (crystals, precipitates, catalyst) where the cake must be washed and collected cleanly; clarifying a fermentation broth or extract where the filtrate is the product; and dewatering the plant's wastewater sludge. Product-contact duties call for a plate and frame press or an enclosed membrane press in 316L stainless steel or polypropylene with drip trays and cake washing; wastewater sludge goes to a standard chamber press.
Key figures at a glance
- Plate sizes 320–800 mm for product recovery and clarification; 800–1500 mm for wastewater sludge
- Materials: 316L stainless steel or polypropylene plates; polypropylene or polyester cloth selected for solvent and pH compatibility
- Options: enclosed plate pack with drip trays, cake washing and air blowing, solvent-tight construction, explosion-proof electrics on request
- Small-batch or R&D work: a laboratory filter press reproduces cake formation before a production press is specified
Related: chemical and fine-chemical filter presses · filter press cloth · filtration test on your sample
Biopharmaceutical production typically uses microorganisms or cells for fermentation. A filter press can efficiently separate cells, biomass and impurities while retaining the target product. An explosion-proof stainless steel filter press is an excellent choice.
During traditional Chinese medicine extraction, the residue content is high. A dedicated plate-and-frame filter press for TCM can dewater efficiently, giving the plant extract a higher clarity.
Wastewater, precipitates or concentrated residues generated during pharmaceutical production all need dewatering and volume reduction. We can supply matched automatic dosing systems, sludge tanks, etc.
For the pharmaceutical sector, we can customize food-grade/medical-grade stainless steel filter presses, 316L plate-and-frame filter presses, ensuring the filtrate is processed in a fully enclosed environment to minimize contamination.
Medical membrane filter presses deliver rapid filtration and higher efficiency. By choosing the right filter cloth, you can achieve higher filtration precision, lower impurity contamination, and easier solid–liquid separation for waste reduction and recovery.