SMB Separator Using Strong Acid Cation Resin for Organic Acid Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying organic acids from fermentation broths, such as those using anion exchange resins, are inefficient due to high chemical consumption and waste production, and existing systems fail to effectively utilize strong acid cation resins for organic acid purification.
Innovation Solution
The use of a strong acid cation resin in a simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography system, where the pH of the fermentation broth is lowered to protonate the organic acid, allowing its purification with dilute acid as an eluent, reducing chemical requirements and resin sizes, and minimizing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If anion exchange resin is used for organic acid purification, then the organic acid can be removed from fermentation broth, but high amount of chemical is required during elution step
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by using a cation exchange resin instead of an anion exchange resin. This inversion allows the resin to bind positively charged species (including protonated organic acids) while using water as the eluent, thereby eliminating the need for large amounts of chemical regenerants typically required in anion exchange processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the charge parameter of the resin from negative (anion exchange) to positive (cation exchange). This parameter change fundamentally alters the interaction mechanism, allowing organic acids to be bound in their protonated form and released using water, thus reducing chemical consumption while maintaining purification effectiveness.
2Reliability
If conventional purification methods are used, then organic acid can be purified, but large amount of waste byproduct is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the typically harmful effect of organic acid dissociation into a beneficial feature. By using cation exchange resin, the dissociated organic acid is protonated and bound, allowing it to be purified without generating harmful waste byproducts. The process transforms what would normally be a source of contamination into a clean purification mechanism.
3Quantity of substance
If weak base anion exchange resin is used, then chemical consumption is reduced, but purification efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using weak base anion exchange resin, the patent inverts the approach by employing strong acid cation exchange resin. This inversion provides both low chemical consumption (using water as eluent) and high purification efficiency, as the strong acid resin offers superior binding capacity and selectivity for the protonated organic acid species.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively purifies organic acids while minimizing chemical consumption and waste production, and is resistant to organic foulants, achieving high purity and efficiency in organic acid recovery.
Implementation Method 1
strong acid cation resin in a simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography system
Implementation Method 2
the pH of the fermentation broth is lowered to protonate the organic acid
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for enriching an organic acid from a fermentation broth containing residual color, salts, and carbohydrates using simulated moving bed (“SMB”) chromatography to produce a high purity organic acid extract is disclosed. One embodiment of the method purifies citric acid from a fermentation broth into two product streams: a first product stream rich in salt, color, and carbohydrate impurities, and a second product stream comprising an extract enriched in organic acid.