Enhancement of yield and productivity in the 3-zone nonlinear SMB for succinic-acid separation under overloaded conditions

Abstract

For a biotechnological process of succinic-acid (SA) production, one of the essential requirements for ensuring its economical feasibility is to establish an effective way for an economical separation of SA (target product) from other fermentation-sourced organic acids (by-products). For this purpose, we investigated the optimal design of a 3-zone simulated moving bed (SMB) process for the SA separation that could be operated under overloaded conditions. This work began by determining the intrinsic parameters of SA and other organic acids in a Langmuir-isotherm region, which were then used to clarify a proper set of feed concentration and port-arrangement mode that can be favorable for both SA yield and SA productivity.