Coating charcoal with polyacrylate-polymethacrylate copolymer for haemoperfusion. I: Fabrication and evaluation

A potential haemoperfusion system has been developed using activated charcoal encapsulated with a polyacrylate-polymethacrylate copolymer. The film forms a coating of great mechanical strength around the charcoal particles, which is readily permeable to water and certain dissolved substances. The charcoal granules were coated with various membrane thicknesses consisting of a 2-10 per cent (by weight) film coat, using the modified method of non-solvent addition of Benita et al. (1985). The effect of various encapsulation variables such as stirring rate, rate of addition of non-solvent, percentage of coating polymer and concentration of a non-wall-forming polymer (PIB) in the non-solvent phase on adsorptivity, as well as the release of fine particles, were determined. The effect of coating thickness on the adsorption rate of the coated charcoal was investigated by constructing Higuchi diffusion model plots using methylene blue as a model adsorbate. It was found that the membrane permeability can be adjusted by changing experimental conditions to obtain high adsorption capacity along with a low level of released particles. Further, the effect of presoaking of the coated charcoal in purified water, normal saline, and 0.067 M phosphate buffer pH 7.4 (for 24 h at 37 degrees C) on the rate of adsorption of methylene blue was also evaluated.