Development of Process Alternatives for Separation and Purification of Natural Products
Systematic methods and tools for managing the complexity
Process Synthesis & Design - I (T4-1a)
Keywords: natural products, crystallization, process design, process development
One of the major challenges in process development is the conceptualization of a realistic process that is viable for commercial manufacturing. This is particularly true for natural product processes, for which basic information such as thermodynamic and physical properties of the key components involved are seldom available. The major issues in designing a separation or purification process for such products, which normally involves crystallization, often include the selection of a suitable solvent or optimization of operating conditions (temperature, concentration, pH, and so on). In these cases, it is inevitable that conceptual design must proceed alongside bench-scale experiments, which provide the missing information in a practical and systematic manner. This exercise results in technically feasible process alternatives that can be further evaluated via material balance calculations.
Two examples are presented to demonstrate an approach for designing natural product crystallization process based on thermodynamic solid-liquid equilibrium (SLE) phase behavior. The first is separation of soybean isoflavones daidzein and genistein, both of which have been reported to play a role in preventing and treating cancers and cardiovascular diseases. The second is production of L-glutamic acid and its monosodium salt, which involves crystallization from a mixture containing other acids and bases that have to be added to control pH. In both examples, key solubility experiments are performed to obtain relevant SLE phase diagrams featuring different regions of temperature and composition in which various products can be crystallized. With such an understanding of the underlying thermodynamic behavior, feasible process alternatives can be generated in a much more efficient manner compared to a trial-and-error method.
Presented Monday 17, 11:33 to 11:52, in session Process Synthesis & Design - I (T4-1a).
