Method and device for continuous countercurrent transfer of material between two fluid phases

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022016546-A1
Application number	US-201917294010-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 14, 2018
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for continuous exchange of material includes countercurrent contacting of a first fluid phase and a second fluid phase that are not completely miscible. The contacting is carried out in a single centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) apparatus into which only the first and second fluid phases introduced. The apparatus includes a plurality of cells, each with a stationary phase immobilized and a mobile phase passing through the stationary phase. The following steps are carried out successively: a) the mobile phase is formed by the first fluid phase, and the stationary phase immobilized in the cells is formed by the second fluid phase; b) the mobile phase is formed by the second fluid phase, and the stationary phase immobilized in the cells is formed by the first fluid phase; c) repetition of the succession of steps a) and b) each step being carried out immediately after the preceding step.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for continuous exchange of material by countercurrent contacting of a first fluid phase and a second fluid phase that are not fully miscible, wherein contacting is performed in a single apparatus, which is an apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) apparatus type, into which only the first fluid phase and the second fluid phase are fed, excluding any other phase, said apparatus comprising a plurality of cells, with a stationary phase immobilised in each of the cells and a mobile phase passing through the stationary phase, and in that the following steps a), b), and c) are successively carried out:
a) Step at which the mobile phase consists of the first fluid phase, and the stationary phase immobilised in the cells consists of the second fluid phase. b) Step at which the mobile phase consists of the second fluid phase, and the stationary phase immobilised in the cells consists of the first fluid phase. c) Repetition of the succession of steps a) and b);
step b) being performed immediately after step a), and step c) being performed immediately after step b).

2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus, which is an apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) apparatus type, comprises only two inlets for feeding phases into the apparatus, namely a first inlet through which the first fluid phase is fed into the apparatus, and a second inlet through which the second fluid phase is fed into the apparatus, and if the apparatus optionally further comprises one or more other inlet(s), this inlet (these inlets) is (are) not used to feed one or more other phase(s) into the device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of the first fluid phase is lower than the density of the second fluid phase, and step a) is then a step called step in ascending mode, and step b) is then a step called step in descending mode; or else the density of the first fluid phase is greater than the density of the second fluid phase, and step a) is then a step called step in descending mode, and step b) is then a step in called step in ascending mode.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluid phase and the second fluid phase are independently selected from among liquid phases, gaseous phases, and supercritical phases.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first phase is a liquid phase and the second phase is a liquid phase or a supercritical phase, or vice versa.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first phase is a liquid phase containing a solute and the second phase is a liquid phase containing an extraction solvent for the solute or a supercritical phase acting as an extraction solvent for the solute, and at the end of step a) a liquid phase called solute-depleted raffinate is recovered, and at the end of step b) a liquid phase called solute-enriched extract is recovered or a supercritical phase called solute-enriched extract is recovered; or else the first phase is a liquid phase containing a an extraction solvent for a solute or a supercritical phase acting as an extraction solvent for a solute and the second phase is a liquid phase containing the solute, and at the end of step a) a liquid phase called solute-enriched extract is thus recovered or a supercritical phase called solute-enriched extract is thus recovered, and at the end of step b) a liquid phase called solute-depleted raffinate is recovered.

7 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first phase is a supercritical phase containing a solute and the second phase is a liquid phase containing an extraction solvent for the solute, and at the end of step a) a supercritical phase called solute-depleted raffinate is thus recovered, and at the end of step b) a liquid phase called solute-enriched extract is recovered; or else the first phase is a liquid phase containing an extraction solvent for a solute and the second phase is a supercritical phase containing a solute, and at the end of step a) a liquid phase called solute-enriched extract is thus recovered, and at the end of step b), a supercritical phase called solute-depleted raffinate is recovered.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluid phase is a liquid phase and the second fluid phase is a gaseous phase, or vice versa, and a compound is transferred from one of the phases into the other phase.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) apparatus type comprises from 100 to 2000 cells.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cells are symmetric.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the cells is divided into several sub-cells, for example two or three sub-cells, connected together via a channel.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the succession of steps a) and b) is repeated as many times as necessary to achieve the treatment of an entire volume of a feed phase, for example of a feed phase from which it is sought to extract the solute; preferably the succession of steps a) and b) is repeated from 1 to 300,000 times, more preferably from 1 to 100,000 times, better from 1 to 10,000 times, and still better from 1 to 1,000 times.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the time length of step a) is from 10 seconds to 120 seconds, preferably from 30 to 60 seconds and the time length of step b) is from 10 seconds to 120 seconds, preferably from 30 to 60 seconds.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the time length of step a) is equal to the time length of step b).

15 . A device for carrying out the method according to claim 1 , comprising:
an apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) apparatus type ( 31 ); a first tank ( 32 ) containing the first fluid phase ( 33 ); and a second tank ( 34 ) containing the second fluid phase ( 35 ); a first pipe ( 36 ) provided with a first pump, and a first valve ( 37 ), connecting the first tank ( 32 ) to a first inlet ( 39 ) of the apparatus of Centrifugal Partitioning Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ); and a second pipe ( 310 ) provided with a second pump and a second valve ( 311 ), connecting the second tank ( 34 ) to a second inlet ( 313 ) of the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ); a third pipe ( 314 ) provided with a third valve ( 315 ), connecting the second inlet ( 313 ) of the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ) to a tank ( 316 ) intended to collect the first fluid phase, such as a liquid phase called raffinate ( 317 ), that has passed through the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ); a fourth pipe ( 318 ) provided with a fourth valve ( 319 ), connecting the first inlet ( 39 ) of the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ) to a tank ( 320 ) intended to collect the second fluid phase, such as a liquid phase called extract ( 321 ) that has passed through the apparatus of Centrifugal Partition Chromatography apparatus type ( 31 ); control means to actuate the opening and closing of the valves, to actuate the operation and stopping of the pumps, to synchronize the operation of the pumps and valves, to control the opening and closing times of the valves and the operation and stopping times of the pumps.

16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the control means comprise a programmable logic controller that allows alternating and timed operation between:
a first mode, preferably of determined time length, in which the first pump is

Assignees

• Inst Nat Polytechnique Toulouse
• Univ Nantes
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• CONDORET JEAN-STéPHANE
• Destrac Philippe
• Gourdon Christophe
• Legrand Jack
• Marchal Luc

Classifications

• B01D15/1892 Primary

  the sorbent material moving as a whole, e.g. continuous annular chromatography, true moving beds or centrifugal chromatography · CPC title

• B01D11/0484

  Controlling means · CPC title

• B01D2011/002

  Counter-current extraction · CPC title

• B01D11/04

  of solutions which are liquid · CPC title

• B01D11/0488

  Flow sheets · CPC title