Simulated Moving Bed Chromatography

Established in 1996, Orochem is globally recognized as a unique vertically-integrated organization for commercial ton-scale purification of economically viable molecules using Simulated Moving Bed Chromatography. Orochem conducts proof of concept leading to pilot scale purification to validate feasibility and viability of commercial scale-up using proprietary chromatographic/ion exchange separation technique involving simulated moving bed (SMB) technology. To date, Orochem has successfully installed pilot scale and commercial scale purification systems at customer’s sites in north America, Europe and Asia, such as protein purification SMB systems of plant proteins, recombinant proteins, and whey proteins; nutraceutical and API purification SMB systems of phospholipids, Omega 3 fatty acids, curcuminoids, and sugars. In addition, Orochem successfully manufactures up to kilo scale purification products of chiral drugs, beta-carotene, tocotrienols , 2,3-butanediol, 1-decene, and anthocyanin.

More Details

SMB (Simulated Moving Bed) Background:

Simulated moving bed (SMB) technology is a chromatography technique that is traditionally used in oil and energy industry for recovery and purification of p-xylene and other aromatic components separated from naphtha feed.  After it became commercialized heavily into the oil industry, SMB technology made its mark on the food industry by separating fructose from glucose in a molasses feed.  Since then (1990s), SMB chromatography has become increasingly popular with biotechnology companies for purification and recovery of active pharmaceutical intermediates (APIs). Several examples of processes established in industry include the SORBEX® process as well as the PAREX®, and Aromax® for recovery of p-xylene from C-8 isomer mixtures both commercialized by UOP.  Other examples of SMB processes commercialized (also from UOP) include Ebex® for the separation of ethylbenzene from a mixture of C-8 aromatic isomers, Molex® for the separation of n-parafin’s from branched and cyclic hydrocarbons, and Olex® for the separation of olefins from parafins. Other examples in the chemical industry are Cresex® and Cymex® for the separation of p-cresol and p-cymene from its isomers and Sarex®.

To understand and utilize the SMB technology, it is imperative to study techniques of batch or column chromatography.  All research and development efforts to operate an SMB are focused on column chromatography studies.  Once components in a material are able to be separated at reasonable capacity with respect to a certain mobile phase, stationary phase, and feed flow rate, a scale up to SMB is possible.  Column chromatography, at any scale, is not practical to use for large scale production and purification of molecules.  Compared to SMB technology, in column chromatography, the stationary phase is not utilized efficiently.  This is because the separation zone between the components decreases during a column chromatography separation.  In an SMB, the separation zone is large and is maintained at a constant width.  Also, compounds are often unable to be separated in column chromatography because the column length is usually not long enough.  Overall, in column chromatography, the stationary phase is largely under-utilized and thus most column separation processes require excess amounts of solvent to complete a separation between compounds.  One of the major drawbacks of column chromatography is that it is a batch or linear process which results in the process having to be repeated to achieve a similar result as continuous SMB process.  Thus, a column chromatography separation is always expensive to scale up as compared to an SMB.

Work model and Capabilities:

  • Work model supports the process from discovery phase to lab scale and all the way to production scale
  • Orochem has capabilities of manufacturing customized adsorbents which can efficiently work on SMB process.
  • Orochem has a team of highly experienced people in the field of SMB – We have a team of chemists, Chemical and Mechanical Engineers working closely right from the discovery stage to the production stage

Cost Effectivness :

  • Orochem SMB large scale models are based on 300um and larger particle size thereby reducing the cost of the adsorbent and equipment.

Support and services:

  • Orochem provides full support for further process development and optimization even after installation of the process
  • Orochem provides full documentation and technical services required for cGMP applications
  • Orochem deligently works towards making the product most cost effective in the industry
  • Orochem has in house analytical equipment's like HPLC, GC, mass spec, FTIR, UHPLC etc.

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  • Catalog#
  • Description
  • Symphony Chrome

    Symphony Chrome (1)

    Symphony Chrome SMB Simulated Moving Bed Chromatography Systems

    The Swan F Series Simulated Moving Bed Systems

    The Swan F series SMB System (Figure 1) is an automated continuous liquid chromatography system designed for preparative-scale purification of chemical compounds. The Swan F series systems are a way to run SMB on a benchtop.

    Figure 1: A lab scale Symphony Chrome SMB system

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  • Nutraceuticals

    Nutraceuticals (1)

    Nutraceuticals

    Total Solution for Nutraceutical Purification and Production on Large Scale. Orochem Technologies Inc. has successfully commercialized purification and production of nutraceuticals such as Rubisco from Spinach and Alpha-Alpha, Recombinant Heme from yeast and Proteins from Peas, DHA and EPA from fish oil, tocotrienols from palm oil, phospholipids from krill oil, specialty sugars (tagatose, stevioside, and rebauside A), curcuminoids, and xanthins (astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin) from plants, fruits, and seafood. Orochem's R&D Center in Naperville, Illinois provides vertically integrated Chromatography and Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) process from discovery to manufacturing. Orochem's SMB Technology for purification of EPA and DHA from Fish Oil has been commercialized since 2009 and has played a major role in development of high purity Omega-3 for Pharmaceutical and Food applications. Orochem inventors have been granted several US and European patents for this novel technology. Orochem's team of chemists and chemical engineers assist customers to develop and implement economical and scalable process with very short cycle time.
  • Bio-Molecules

    Bio-Molecules (1)

    Bio-molecules

    Orochem Technologies Inc. has developed novel SMB processes to separate and purify various and organic small molecules produced using bio-processes such as gasification, microbial fermentation, and other environmentally clean processes. Our technology includes effective separation of biomasses from the desired components to yield a high recovery, highly pure product. Orochem has solutions of continuous SMB separation of ethanol, 2,3-butanediol, citric acid, lactic acid, and propanol.
  • API and Chiral Products

    API and Chiral Products (1)

    API and Chiral Products

    Active pharmaceutical intermediate molecules or API’s are the biologically active, highly potent ingredients in pharmaceutical drugs. These potent ingredients are usually present in enantiomeric form and in most cases one enantiomeric form may be harmful while the other form is the intended active ingredient for the drug. Therefore it is imperative that the intended active pharmaceutical intermediate is present in pure form in the drug. Orochem Technologies Inc. SMB chromatography purification process allows for a high purity and high recovery separation of the active pharmaceutical intermediate. For this reason, Orochem Technologies Inc. is at the forefront of API purification, we have purification process for several enantiomers (montelukast, s-valsartan, gemcitabine, and atorvastin) and pharmaceutical grade API (EPA, phosphotidyl choline, and phytonadione). We are dedicated to helping our customers worldwide in achieving this goal.
  • Sweeteners

    Sweeteners (1)

    Sweeteners

    Orochem Technologies Inc. is expertise in separation, isolation, and purification of sugars such as mannose, glucose, and tagatose sugars from hydrolysate isomerate and fermentation feed streams using SMB chromatography technology. These sugars are used in medical and food industries where lower calorie sugar compounds are in high demand. Our technology includes effective separation of sugars from feed streams to yield a high recovery, highly pure product. We are dedicated to helping our customers worldwide in achieving this goal.
  • Petrochemicals

    Petrochemicals (1)

    Petrochemicals

    SMB technology was originally used in oil industry for processes such as separation of n-paraffins from iso-paraffins and cycloparaffins and separation of para-xylene from C8 isomers. It continues to be used as the mode of separation for industrially important small molecules from the oil industry. Orochem Technologies Inc. has applied its expert use of SMB chromatography to aid customers in separations of alpha-olefins and other petrochemical small molecules to yield high recovery and high purity products. Orochem can offer solution for purification of 1-decene, styrene, and ethyl benzene.
  • Proteins

    Proteins (1)

    Proteins

    Orochem Technologies Inc. has developed novel SMB process to separate and purity various proteins from different sources. Our technology combined ion exchange chromatographic separation with SMB technologies for continuous purification of proteins on large scale. The Orochem SMB system can operate with up to 15 columns assembled in either parallel or series mode. Orochem’s large particle size ion-exchange resin allows high flow rate ate low column pressure, perfect for commercial scale production. Orochem’s protein purification SMB system has been demonstrated on purification on RuBisCO from spinach, Heme from yeast, pea proteins from pea flour and whey proteins from whey.
  • Industrial Chemicals

    Industrial Chemicals (1)

    Industrial Chemicals

    Orochem ‘s proprietary SMB technology can be applied to purify industrial chemicals, such as dichlorobenzene, toluene diamine, cymene, and cresols. Orochem's team of chemists and chemical engineers assist customers to develop and implement economical and scalable process with very short cycle time. For detail information, please contact us at info@orochem.com.
  • Vegetable Oils

    Vegetable Oils (1)

    VEGETABLE OILS

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