ABSTRACT
Many applications exist for air and gas filtration in the pharmaceutical industry. The
filtration required can be to the 0.2 mm (sterilizing) level or to a coarser filtration level for particulate removal. Some air applications for which sterile filtration is employed are:
fermentor inlet air, fermentor vent gas, vents on Water for Injection tanks, and vacuum
break filters on autoclaves and lyophilizers. In Fermentation alone there are five major
categories. These include antibiotics, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, and enzymes
and other proteins. Coarser filtration can be employed for particulate removal in which
the coarse filter acts as a pre-filter to the sterilizing grade filter. Other applications
employ coalescers as prefilters for the removal of liquid droplets, such as oil or water.
