Organo Corporation

Japan Organo Co., Ltd.

Nec Corporation

Teac Corporation

Takayuki Masuda

Fumihiko Matsuda

Kikuzo Kaneko

Kohei Sato

Kouji Tanikawa

Tohru Sonobe

Akira Mashimo

Tetsuya Abe

Keishi Ueno

Misao Fukuda

Naoko Suzuki

Sadamitsu Tanzawa

Kuniaki Kawano

Kyosuke Yamada

Isamu Miyawaki

Makoto Tomizawa

Masaharu Horie

A chromatographic separator characterized in that two pumps are employed for controlling chromatographic separation that combines a first process for supplying at least one of feed solution and eluent into a circulation system and extracting the same quantity as that of liquid supplied into the circulation system from one position of a packed column where some component is enriched in the circulation system, and a second process for circulating liquid in the system without supplying the feed solution and eluent and extracting the separated component at all. Easy-to-control chromatographic separator, in which a total number of pumps to be used is decreased and high separation performance is attained through a simple structure, can thereby be provided.

Chromatographic separator

A raw gas containing a gas component A with low affinity with an adsorbent and a gas component C with high affinity with the adsorbent are sequentially supplied to at least three adsorption columns, while a desorption gas containing a gas component D which differs from the gas components A and C is supplied to each of the adsorption columns other than the one to which the raw gas is being supplied. When the raw gas is supplied to the adsorption columns, the gas component A having lower affinity with the adsorbent exits the adsorption columns earlier than the gas component C having higher affinity. The gas components A and C can thus be separated from each other. When a gas including an enriched gas component A is discharged from the outlet of each adsorption column, the full amount is extracted out of the system. When a gas including an enriched gas component C is discharged from the outlet of each adsorption column, the full amount is extracted out of the system. When the gas mixture containing the gas components A and C is discharged from the exit of each adsorption column, all the discharged gas is fed back to the inlet of the adsorption column to which the raw gas is being supplied. It is possible to efficiently and sequentially separate the gas components A and C with this simple structure.

Method and apparatus for separating, removing, and recovering gas components

In chromatographic separation in a plurality of steps with a chromatographic separator packed with an ion exchanger used as at least part of chromatographic packing, at least part of the ionic form of at least part of the ion exchanger is changed to an ionic form fit for separation of components to be separated in each step to effect chromatographic separation, whereby a starting fluid material containing at least 3 components can be efficiently separated into at least 3 fractions. A preferred example of the chromatographic separator comprising a group of packing bed units linked in endless series to form a circulation flow path is provided with a shutoff valve at a position of the circulation flow path; starting fluid material feed means, desorbent feed means and 2-fraction withdrawal means for all the packing bed units; and a single-fraction withdrawal means connected to the circulation flow path on the upstream side of the shutoff valve and without any packing bed unit therebetween.

Chromatographic separation process and chromatographic separator

At least 2 different packings differing in the resolution of components contained in a starting fluid material such as a starting solution material and desired to be separated are used in a coexistent state to adjust the resolution of the components. The starting fluid material is flowed through the resultant packing bed to effect chromatographic separation, whereby high-purity fractions enriched with respective components can be obtained at high recoveries with a small amount of desorbent such as eluent. In a chromatographic separator, at least 2 packings comprising a first packing high in the resolution of a component having a medium affinity (affinity for packing) and a weak-affinity component and a second packing high in the resolution of a strong-affinity component and the medium-affinity component in a coexistent state are used as chromatographic packing in contact with a fluid containing the medium-affinity component to adjust the resolution of every two of at least 3 components, whereby at least 3 fractions can be obtained.

Method and equipment for chromatographic separation

Chromatographic separation process

In demineralization of a beet sugar solution before boiling as the starting solution with a simulated moving bed chromatographic separator comprising a plurality of packed column units packed with a strongly acidic cation exchange resin in a salt form having an average grain size of 300 to 500 &mgr;m and a uniformity coefficient of at most 1.2 as chromatographic packing (separating packing), and each provided with a starting solution feed inlet, an eluent water feed inlet, a withdrawal outlet for a fraction of a component having a strong affinity for chromatographic packing (&ldquo;strong-affinity component&rdquo;), and a withdrawal outlet for a fraction of a component having a weak affinity for chromatographic packing (&ldquo;weak-affinity component&rdquo;); use is made of circulating pumps, the number of which is at least half of the number of the packed column units, and the beet sugar solution before boiling is demineralized under the following conditions: starting solution feed rate/eluent water feed rate volume ratio&equals;1/2.5 to 1/3.5, strong-affinity component fraction withdrawal rate/weak-affinity component fraction withdrawal rate volume ratio&equals;0.5/1 to 1.2/1, and circulating flow rate&equals;25 to 80 vol. % /hr. based on chromatographic packing in a slowest flow velocity zone in the circulation system, whereby a sucrose fraction having a high sucrose concentration is obtained using a small amount of eluent water with a large throughput.

Process for demineralizing a sugar solution

Process for recovering betaine

An optical disk apparatus for performing recording and reproduction of information on an optical disk is disclosed. The optical disk has a sector format which consists of a sector mark area in which a sector mark is recorded and an address area in which a plurality of VFO segments and ID segments are alternately provided. The apparatus comprises a sector mark detector, a read gate controller, a PLL controller and an address information detector. The sector mark detector detects the sector mark. The read gate controller controls a read gate to be opened and closed. The read gate enables readout of information from the VFO segment when it is opened. The PLL controller initiates synchronization of a signal read from the VFO segment with a PLL in response to the opening of the read gate. The address information detector detects an address identifier recorded in the ID segment. If the address information detector cannot detect the address identifier, the read gate controller closes the read gate and opens the read gate at a timing corresponding to the VFO segment located immediately after the ID segment in which the address identifier cannot be detected.

Optical disk apparatus

The present invention provides a process for production of starch sugars, wherein starch is subjected to liquefaction and saccharification to prepare a mixture containing 10-50% by weight, based on the total solid content, of glucose and 30-50% by weight, also based on the total solid content, of maltose and the mixture is concentrated so as to have a total solid content of 40-70% by weight; and the resulting mixture is subjected to component separation using a chromatographic separator of simulated moving bed type capable of fractionating the mixture into at least three fractions, to produce a glucose fraction with a glucose purity of at least 97% by weight, a maltose fraction with a maltose purity of at least 80% by weight and a high-purity oligosaccharide fraction at a high efficiency in one operation. In the process, no strict control is required for the enzymatic reactions taking place in the liquefaction and saccharification of starch, and all the fractions obtained by the chromatographic fractionation can be made into marketable products.

Process for production of starch sugars

There is provided a process for efficient chromatographic separation of a plurality of components from a fluid feed containing the same, which process comprises repeating a cycle comprising the step (1) of substantially shutting off the internal fluid circulation at a position of endless, or continuous, circulatory system and withdrawing a fraction enriched with a component having a strong affinity for an adsorbent upstream of the shut-off position while feeding the fluid feed downstream of the shut-off position, and the step (2) of withdrawing a plurality of fractions enriched with the remaining components while feeding a fluid desorbent and circulating the internal fluid.

Process for fractional separation of a plurality of components from the

A process for chromatographic fractional separation of a ternary or more fluid feed into at least three fractions according to a simulated moving bed procedure in a system wherein the simulated moving bed packed with an adsorbent is provided with a circulatory channel having a shutoff position where the circulation of the system can be shut off, comprises step (1) of feeding fresh fluid feed into the system on the downstream side of the shutoff position while withdrawing a fraction(s) of a component(s) having a medium affinity for the adsorbent from an adsorption zone(s) located upstream of the shutoff position, which step (1) is repeated alternately with step (2) of separately withdrawing fractions of components fractionated into respective adsorption zones remaining after the step (1) by feeding a fluid desorbent into the system with sequentially shifting the position of feeding the fluid desorbent and the positions of withdrawing enriched fractions, corresponding to the migration of the respective adsorption zones in the downstream direction of circulation, while allowing the circulation of the system and feeding no fresh fluid feed into the system. Step (2) may, if desired, be followed by step (3) of further feeding the desorbent into each of the adsorption zones and separately withdrawing the fractions out of the system while allowing the fluid circulation of the system.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Takayuki Masuda