INTERPARTICLE AND INTRAPARTICLE MASS-TRANSFER IN CHROMATOGRAPHIC-SEPARATION

Chromatography is a widely used separation technique for analytical, investigative as well as preparative purposes in chemistry, engineering and biology. Due to the emergence of recombinant protein production in the last decade, requirements for scale, speed, recovery and purity are ever increasing. The performance of a chromatographic separation depends on the-column efficiency, which is dictated by packing quality, mass transfer and reaction kinetics. In this paper, an overview is provided of the theoretical development of chromatographic separation. Special focus is given to interparticle and intraparticle mass transfer with a description of both theoretical and practical aspects. In addition, recent developments utilizing intraparticle convection to enhance mass transfer rates and increase column efficiency are reviewed.