Work on a system using calcium carbonate powder and polyethylene glycol binders in high shear granulation has shown that in general a trade-off line exists between the compression strength of granules and their dissolution rate. 

Here the effect of increasing the binder-to-solids ratio of the initial granulation mixture is studied and analysed for its effect on granule strength, dissolution rate, composition and structure.  The system was found to be very sensitive to changes in the binder-to-solids ratio, with distinct differences observed between batches containing 10 and 16% overall binder content.  The differences observed also had a direct influence on the nature of single granule compression failure and also the dissolution and particularly the binder content of the granules, which was found to have the opposite trend to the binder ratio as added to the batch. 

Analysis of internal granule structure has also been possible using x-ray tomography, which allows the powder and binder distribution to be visually seen inside the granules.  Again there are distinct differences to be seen between batches made with different binder ratios.