Separation of enantiomers of a chiral epoxide by simulated moving bed chromatography

The paper deals with chiral separation by simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography. The separation of chiral epoxide enantiomers in microcrystalline cellulose triacetate using methanol as eluent is considered as illustrative example. The use of microcrystalline cellulose triacetate for the chromatographic separation of enantiomers is first reviewed and a methodology for obtaining basic data (adsorption equilibrium isotherms, axial dispersion and mass transfer coefficient) is discussed. A model for the prediction of the cyclic steady-state performance of the SMB, based on the analogy with the true moving bed, is developed assuming multicomponent adsorption equilibria, axial dispersion flow and linear driving force approximation to describe the intraparticle mass transfer rate. The simulation package is used to predict the effect of operating variables on the process performance and to define the regions for enantiomer separation. A simple optimization procedure is proposed for choosing the best SMB operating conditions. This procedure is extensively tested for the separation of chiral epoxide enantiomers. The experimental operation of a SMB pilot unit was carried out for this system. Purities and recoveries higher than 90% were obtained for both extract and raffinate, using a 420 ml inventory of stationary phase. The SMB pilot allows the continuous resolution of 52 g of racemic mixture per day and per liter of bed, with a solvent consumption of 0.4 l of mobile phase per gram of racemic mixture processed. The simulation package is also used to predict the steady-state internal concentration profiles for the SMB operation with reasonable agreement with experimental results