Advantages of bag-on-valve (BoV) technology over traditional aerosol packaging

Aurena Laboratories AB is a specialist in Bag-on-valve (BoV) technology for healthcare spray delivery of high purity and sterile products, including saline solutions, skin and wound care formulations.

Bag-on-Valve (BoV) spray technology delivers key advantages over traditional aerosol packaging for medical and therapeutic delivery.

These include environmental friendliness, enhanced economy and sustainability and greater comfort for end-user.

Conventional aerosol spray technology

Conventional aerosol packaging combines three elements:

• Product to be sprayed: blending active and inactive ingredients.
• Propellant: a gaseous compound mixed with the product to ‘push’ it out as spray or foam. In some cases, the propellant also acts as a solvent to keep the product in desired form. Usually, the propellants is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon, like propane, isobutane, normal butane or ethane, or a hydrofluorocarbon like HFC 134 or HFC 152.
• Canister: steel or aluminum leak-proof can, fitted with push-button spray valve, to keep product/propellant mix contained under pressure,

Pressing the actuator button opens the valve. Differential pressure between can contents and outside atmosphere allows propellant to expand, pushing the product out through the valve as fine mist or jet spray.

BoV technology

The Bag-on-Valve system is built around an aerosol spray valve welded to a sealed poly-laminated aluminum bag. When filled with product, the bag is placed inside a tinplate or aluminum can that is then pressurized with compressed air or nitrogen propellant as valve is fitted under pressure.

In use, the propellant exerts pressure on the outside of the bag, ‘squeezing’ product through nozzle in a mist or jet spray when the valve is actuated.

There are three key differences between a standard aerosol and BoV spray delivery:

1. Product and propellant remain physically separate eliminating the risk of adulteration or contamination
2. Less aggressive propellants can be used
3. The product undergoes less chilling from the propellant and emerges closer to room temperature.

BoV advantages

These essential differences open up a number of potent manufacturer and user benefits for BoV spray delivery:

• Suitable for both liquid and viscous products
• Up to 100% product emptying
• Product dispensed in ‘pure’ form
• Longer shelf life with less need for preservatives
• Even and controlled spraying pattern for optimal result
• No pumping motion needed
• Can be used at all angles
• Reduced spray noise
• Less-chilling product discharge for greater user comfort
• Hygienic and sterilizable
• Eco-friendly propellants
• Fully recyclable

BoV therefore provides a superior form of spray dispensing that is particularly valuable in high quality and high purity products such as saline solution formulations, skin & wound care products, cosmetics and foodstuffs.

BoV is also a flexible solution that can be integrated into the full range of modern packaging formats with a wide choice of can shapes and formats, valve types, caps, etc.

BoV applications

Bag-on-valve technology can be used to dispense any product that can be delivered by conventional aerosol, as well as some products that are not suitable for aerosol canister. These include the full range of viscous gels, creams and ointments, as well as liquids.

Aurena Laboratories uses BoV delivery for its clean room manufactured skin & wound care products as well as its high purity saline formulations.

However, a far wider range of BoV applications are possible including pharma and medical devices, where safety is a key criterion.

Bag-on-Valve, with its 100% emptying and longer product shelf life also provides important sustainability, economy and efficiency advantages.

Aurena has recently produced a Bag-on-Valve White Paper that explains the technology in greater detail, including materials selection, filling methods used in manufacture and discussion of potential BoV applications (see Resources below).

Resources

Click on BoV White Paper – Discover What Can Be Done With Bag-On-Valve Technology to download.
Click on Aurena BoV technology to find out more.