Continuous Annular Chromatography

Abstract

In recent years the demand for process scale chromatography systems in the industrial downstream process has been increasing steadily. Chromatography seems to be the method of choice when biological active compounds must be recovered from a mixture containing dozens of side products and contaminants as it is for example the case when processing fermentation broths. Since chromatography can solve almost any separation problem under mild operating conditions, a continuous chromatography system represents an extremely attractive and powerful option for such large-scale applications. The increasing number of biotechnological products forces system suppliers of the downstream processing side to develop new and improved high throughput purification technologies.

Continuous Annular Chromatography (CAC) has been shown to be the only continuous chromatography technique to fulfill the high demands raised by modern biotechnological productions. In recent years Prior Separation Technology has transferred the principle of Continuous annular chromatography from the research laboratories to the fully developed industrial downstream process scale. The technology is now called Preparative Continuous Annular Chromatography — P-CAC. It can be placed at any stage in the downstream line starting at the very early stages where capturing and concentration of the desired product is required down to the polishing steps, which assure a sufficient final purity of the end product.