The Granule Porosity Controls the Loss of Compactibility for Both Dry- and Wet-Processed Cellulose Granules but at Different Rate

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of porosity on the compression behavior and tablet tensile strength for granules produced by a dry granulation procedure. Microcrystalline cellulose was used as a typical pharmaceutical excipient and a comparison was made with the effect of granule porosity on the compression behavior and tablet tensile strength of wet-processed granules of the same composition. Both the wet and dry granulation process caused a loss in compactibility of the material that was controlled by the granule porosity up to a critical point of porosity and friability. Above this threshold value of porosity, the granules nearly collapsed completely into primary particles during compression. In these cases, the micro-structure and tensile strength of the formed tablets resembled that of tablets formed from the original ungranulated powder.