Biseps, Inc.  Advanced Columns and Methods for Preparative Bio-Chromatography

The following data is based on the computer simulations of the column Dynamic Binding Capacity (by Dr. Andrew Alaska, in preparation).

#1. Sorbent saturation front.

S-shaped saturation front advances along the column (from left to right) as the feed is  loaded at 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels to the maximum capacity. 
Notes:
The steepness of the front curve depends on the flow rate and other parameters (see #3 below).
Depending on the [ (feed concentration)/(DBC)] ratio, the advance of the saturation front is about 10-100 times slower than the flow of the feed (cm/hr),

#2. Theoretical examples of the break-through curves at 3 different Residence Times (related as 1:2:4).

X-axis: amount of loaded the material per ml resin (expressed as a ratio to the maximum possible load, or SC).
Y-axis: concentration of the material in the "break-through"  (relative to the feed concentration).

#3.  Column saturation at the break-through moment - as a function of the flow rate (or the column length, or the bead diameter).

Saturation levels throughout a column at a 3% Break-Through moment.  X-axis represents  column length; inlet is on the left, outlet is on the right.  Identical A-B-C series were calculated from either:
    increasing flow rate, cm/min  (A:B:C=1:2:4), or
    column length reduction, cm  (A:B:C= 4:2:1), or
    increasing  diameter of the sorbent bead, µm (A:B:C=1:1.4:2)

Note: the impact from the increased flow rate (cm/min) can be compensated by a proportional increase of the column length (cm).  Therefore, as long as the residence time (min) is kept constant, the dynamic binding capacity (DBC, mg/ml) stays constant and is not affected by the column size or geometry.  This theoretical conclusion is consistent with all known experimental observations. 

#4. Dynamic Binding Capacity (DBC) as a function of the flow rate.

X-axis represents the flow rate {expressed as "V/time", or as "1/(residence time)"}.  Y-axis represents DBC {expressed as a % of the Static Capacity (SC)}.

Note, that  the same set of experimental break-through curves renders different sets of DBC values depending on whether the 1% or 9% break-through points were used.

#5. Theoretical examples of columns operated at their respective maximum flow (assuming equal dynamic capacity):