Process Analytical Chemistry (PAC)

Process monitoring is an essential aspect of any rational process improvement effort.

Modern monitoring is based on analytical chemistry methods that have been adapted to work in an industrial environment.

For example process analyzers based in chromatography methods (e.g. GC or HPLC) or spectroscopy methods involving sample interfaces or insertion probes to be able to measure on-line and in-situ, have evolved from lab instrumentation not rugged or unsuitable to work out of the quality control lab in real world applications.

Specially in PAT (Process Analytical Technology) implementations monitoring tools are based on multiparametric techniques that intrinsically have the capability to capture several sample attributes. Those attributes can be chemical, physical or biological. NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) is the fact PAT workhorse due to its ability to measure different sample attributes.

Process Analytical Chemistry or in-process quality controls (IPC) based on industrial analytical chemistry solutions, deals therefore to all types of analytical measurements that need to be made in a processing environment to make possible to characterize the state of a system.

• Pharmaceuticals and biotech products
• Chemicals and fine chemicals
• Petrochemicals and refining
• Food, beverage, dairy products

Technology is like a fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes.”

Andrew Heller