Frontal chromatography of proteins - Effect of axial dispersion on column performance

A mathematical model describing the dynamic adsorption of proteins in columns packed with spherical porous adsorbent particles is used to study the effect of axial dispersion on the performance of chromatographic systems. The values of the axial dispersion coefficient, D-L, are estimated from a correlation based on a model describing axial dispersion in packed beds that provides satisfactory results when compared with experiment. Simulations of frontal chromatography in systems including axial dispersion and in systems without axial dispersion are made and compared to determine the effect of axial dispersion on the efficiency of the adsorption process; also, the system parameters that influence axial dispersion are examined. It is found that the reduction in the efficiency of the adsorption process due to axial dispersion is small (<1%) for columns of length 10 cm or greater. However, for short columns, this efficiency reduction can be as large as 10%. Increasing the adsorbent particle diameter, d(p), increases the magnitude of the reduction in efficiency due to axial dispersion; the effect of increasing the adsorbent particle diameter, d(p), is much more pronounced in a short column than in a long column. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.