Micro-simulated moving bed (μSMB) systems: A numerical study

Continuous chromatographic separation processes like simulated moving bed (SMB) systems have been employed in petrochemicals, sugar, and more recently, in pharmaceutical industries by virtue of their superior separation efficiency. Miniaturization of chromatography-based analytical techniques (e.g., high performance liquid chromatography, micro-HPLC or μHPLC) has already been successfully demonstrated in the last few years owing to the rapid development in MEMS technology. With such a rapid progress in technology, it is definitely possible to realize the miniaturization of a powerful continuous chromatographic process such as SMB. Micro-SMB (μSMB) systems could not only inherit the merits of μHPLC, but also provide efficient separation of compounds such as isomers and enantiomers that are otherwise very difficult to isolate. In this paper, new simulations of the performance of a μSMB system for the separation of a mixture of phenol and o-cresol, using a robust numerical algorithm developed that mimics the dynamic operation of the μSMB system, are presented. A systematic parametric sensitivity analysis that addresses the effects of various process parameters on the performance of the μSMB system is also presented. High purities and yields of both phenol and o-cresol is achieved in the μSMB by judicious choice of process parameters.