Dye affinity adsorbent replacement optimization.

A method to determine the optimal replacement time for dye affinity adsorbents used in protein purification processes that are subjected to severe regeneration conditions has been developed. To demonstrate the utility of the method, an experimental fixed-bed decay model was employed to determine the optimum number of cycles for the adsorbent replacement. This number is a function of the column regeneration frequency and of the capital and operation costs. The implications of the results on the design and operation of dye-ligand chromatographic processes are discussed.