Radial flow chromatography is a chromatographic separation process which, since its develo-pment in the 1970s, has become an effective method for separating biomolecules such as proteins, antibodies and nucleic acids. In radial flow chromatography (RFC), the flow passes through the cylindrical column radially from the outer radius to the inner radius or from the inner radius to the outer radius. For comparison, in conventional axial flow chromatography, the column is flowed through from top to bottom along its main axis.
A closer look reveals clear advantages of radial flow chromatography over axial flow chroma-tography. On the one hand, it has a larger surface area than AFC with the same volume, which leads to higher binding capacities. Furthermore, due to its geometry, significantly hig-her flow rates can be achieved at significantly lower pressures, which leads to shorter process times and therefore cost savings. Up-scaling is also much easier using RFC technology, as the separation distance remains the same and only the column height is variable. This leads to enormous space savings compared to AFC technology. Handtmann currently offers a column size of 21L - 260L, as well as a 2L column which represents a trapezoidal section of the RFC.
The radial flow chromatography column is currently used in the beverage industry, brewing industry, dairy industry, food industry, chemical industry as well as in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. Examples of applications include the targeted extraction of proteins such as lactoferrin, blood plasma fractionation, the removal of flavours and aromas, vitamin B2 extraction from lactose, immunoglobulins from milk and many more.
This paper presents an approach for the selection of the operating parameters of radial flow chromatography and the identification and evaluation of possible applications.