Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Liquid/liquid solvent or colloidal extraction or diffusing...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2001-12-18
Therkorn, Ernest G. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Liquid/liquid solvent or colloidal extraction or diffusing...
C210S659000, C210S198200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331250
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a 371 of PCT/JP98/04166 filed Sep. 17, 1998.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to chromatographic separation process and separator, and more particularly to chromatographic separation process and separator for separating a starting fluid material containing at least 2 components into at least 2 fractions enriched with respective components separated therefrom. Herein, the term “enriched with components” refers to gathering of components to be separated (components desired to be separated) in the respective fractions separated in the direction of fluid flow, and the degree of enrichment is therefore correlated with purity and/or recovery.
BACKGROUND ART
There are various conventional methods of chromatographic separation of a starting fluid material containing at least 2 components into the respective components, several representative examples of which include the following methods:
A method (1) is a batchwise one wherein analytical high-performance liquid chromatography is scaled up, and which is generally called preparatory chromatography.
A method (2) is one wherein 2 fractions are obtained from a starting fluid material using a standard simulated moving bed seperator as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 15,681/1967.
A method (3) is one wherein use is made of an improved simulated moving bed separator, and examples of which include a process comprising a circulation step of simply moving fluid in the downstream direction thereof through a packing bed without fluid feed and fluid withdrawal as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 49,159/1990 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 46,097/1995) and a process comprising 3 steps including 2 respective steps of separately withdrawing extract and raffinate as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 100,459/1991. These processes are those wherein 2 fractions are obtained from a starting fluid material.
On the other hand, several representative examples of conventional chromatographic separation methods of separating a starting fluid material containing at least 3 components into at least 3 fractions enriched with respective components include the following methods:
A method (4) is one using either 2 simulated moving bed chromatographic separators for separation of only 2 components or using such a separator twice as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 124,895/1990. More specifically, a starting solution material is either first separated into a component A and a mixture of components B+C, followed by separation of the mixture of components B+C into the components B and C, or first separated into a mixture of components A+B and the component C, followed by separation of the mixture of components A+B into the components A and B. This is so because separation of only 2 components is possible with an ordinary simulated moving bed chromatographic separator. Thus, in order to actually separate 3 components from one another, either 2 simulated moving bed chromatographic separators must be prepared or one such separator must be used twice. In the latter case, a solution midway of separation (fraction of mixture) must be stored once, followed by using the same separator again under varied conditions.
A method (5) is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 227,804/1992, wherein a starting fluid material containing at least 3 components is efficiently and continuously separated into fractions enriched with the respective components with one altered simulated moving bed chromatographic separator packed with one kind of packing (chromatographic packing) by repeating the step of withdrawing a fraction enriched with a component having a medium affinity for packing while feeding desorbent and the starting fluid material and the step of withdrawing fractions respectively enriched with components having respective weak and strong affinities for packing while feeding desorbent.
A method (6) is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 232,003/1995, wherein at least 3 fractions are separated from one another with a simulated moving bed separator comprising 4 packing bed units and packed with one kind of packing by repeating the step of withdrawing fractions respectively enriched with components having respective weak and medium affinities for packing while feeding eluent and a starting solution material, the step of circulating liquid in the simulated moving bed without liquid feed and withdrawal, and the step of withdrawing a fraction enriched with a component having a strong affinity for packing while feeding eluent.
A method (7) is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 80,409/1989, wherein use is made of an arrangement of separation columns (packed column units having packing bed units) packed with a first packing having the following partition coefficients for components: component A<component B<component C, alternate with separation columns packed with a second packing having the following partition coefficients for components: component A<component C<component B.
The foregoing methods (2) to (7) are fundamentally those whereto application is made either of a standard simulated moving bed procedure comprising an operation of feeding a starting fluid material containing a plurality of components to be separated and desorbent (also called “eluent” in the case of liquid) at respective designated positions to an endless circulation system made up of a plurality of packing bed units packed with chromatographic packing (sorbent such as adsorbent) and linked endlessly for circulation in one direction through the endless circulation system, and withdrawing fractions from zones enriched with respective components out of the endless circulation system while taking advantage of a phenomenon that a plurality of components to be separated are separated into respective zones enriched with the respective components due to a difference between the components in affinity for chromatographic packing, and an operation of intermittently displacing the starting fluid material and desorbent feed positions as well as the fraction withdrawal positions in the direction of fluid flow as if the packing were apparently moved in the direction opposite to that of fluid flow, whereby two fractions enriched with the respective components are continuously obtained from the starting fluid material; or of a procedure of obtaining 2 fractions or at least 3 fractions, which is improved over or altered from the standard simulated moving bed procedure (in the present invention, the “simulated moving bed procedure” is regarded as also encompassing those improved over or altered from the standard simulated moving bed procedure).
Meanwhile, although all the foregoing methods are of the same technology in respect of chromatographic separation of a starting fluid material containing at least 2 components into at least 2 fractions, they involve the following respective problems, or demerits, when they are adopted in industrial-scale equipment for carrying out the separation technology.
The method (1) is poor in separation because it is batchwise, and involves a problem that it is often unfit for industrial-scale separation involving treatment of a large amount of starting solution material because a large amount of eluent must be used.
In the foregoing methods (2) to (7), the separation performance, i.e., the separability of components [relevant to the load (feed rate) of a starting fluid material], the purities and recoveries of components contained as objects of recovery in recovered fractions, the amount of used desorbent, such as eluent, relevant to concentration energy in the later step of concentrating recovered fractions (relevant to the desired component concentrations of the recovered fractions), etc. are generally influenced by packing packed in packing bed units (bed units packed with packing), while involving a problem that a countermeasure for an improvement in respect of one of those influences tends to produce other adverse eff
Kaneko Kikuzo
Masuda Takayuki
Matsuda Fumihiko
Sato Kohei
Tanikawa Kouji
Norris & McLaughlin & Marcus
Organo Corporation
Therkorn Ernest G.
LandOfFree
Method and equipment for chromatographic separation does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and equipment for chromatographic separation, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and equipment for chromatographic separation will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2578371