Precise media separation in liquid chromatography

For you as a pharmaceutical products manufacturer, production processes must be robust, efficient and safe. The aim is to reduce plant downtimes as effectively as possible and to process your valuable raw materials with as little residue and cross-contamination as possible.
Find out here how Bürkert can support you with energy-efficient valves and demand-oriented automation concepts for safe and smooth production, for example in liquid chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Downstream processing in biochemical manufacturing

In the chemical or bioprocess engineering industry, products must be separated from a complex media mixture and freed from impurities. This is an important step in guaranteeing a product with the required purity in the entire downstream processing chain.

Working together to make our customers successful

By working with the YMC Process Technologies team, we were able to develop solutions to face the challenges of pharmaceutical production and FDA requirements, all in record time. The combined expertise of Bürkert and YMC allowed us to significantly accelerate the continuous bioprocess flow in chromatography applications.
Learn more in this short video.

Chromatography operation principle

The stationary and mobile phase of liquid chromatography

The precise and safe purification of substances using chromatography is an essential step in the manufacture of fine chemicals. For this purpose, biophysical principles are applied to take advantage of the various flow properties and velocities of the components. The individual components are separated between a stationary phase (the tubular column in a column) and a mobile phase, which flows through the stationary packing (in this case a liquid).

What is the media separation process?

To purify liquids (downstream processing) out of a variety of components, a liquid needs to go through a chromatography process. Due to the various velocities at which all liquids are pumped through the system, individual components can be separated based on the different flow properties and varying interactions between the stationary and the mobile phases of the substances.

Why is chromatography so important?

Chromatography allows us to separate complex media mixtures with great precision. Even very complicated molecules like proteins can be gently separated from each other using chromatography. Under no circumstances should the media be mixed or contaminated. The right choice of valve is also an essential factor, as they control and distribute the media both into and out of the chromatography column.

The conventional solution and its weaknesses

A chromatography process is all about maximising to the greatest degree possible the amount of valuable end product. Under no circumstances is other media to cause contamination. As such, you need a system that is easy to rinse and offers an absolute minimum of dead space. Any necessary maintenance and repairs should be plannable as early as possible and interfere as little as possible with the productivity of the plant.

Conventional valve distributors have a larger dead space in which cleaning or CIP agent residues can mix with “fresh” products. This can lead to contamination and the loss of costly media. In addition, the media in conventional valve distributors have a longer distance to travel, which prolongs the chromatography process.

Grafische Darstellung eines Ventilverteilers mit vier Membranventilen dazu Lupe mit Pfeil auf eine Petrischale , darin Mikroorganismen

The larger machines and their components are, the more space they take up. Space for production facilities is limited and should be used optimally. The more equipment you can fit into your space, the greater your productivity will be. In addition, access to the facilities for the staff is often so narrow that simple, quick maintenance is hardly possible.

Grafische Darstellung einer Produktionsanlage mit eng gepackten Komponenten, dazwischen Arbeiter; Achtung-Symbole; herausgehoben ein Ventilverteiler mit vier Ventilen, dazu Verbotszeichen

In order to economically produce pharmaceuticals you need very high plant availability. Entire machine or individual component failures or disruptions must be avoided at all costs. Technical problems should be detected as early as possible and maintenance and repairs should be carried out quickly.

Grafische Darstellung eines Ensembles aus Ventilverteilern und einer Ventil-Blocklösung, jeweils mit vier Ventilen sowie der dazugehörigen Verrohrung

Maintenance can often be time-consuming and expensive. Conventional solutions like valve distributors require a lot of time for maintenance because the wearing parts – i.e. diaphragms – have to be changed four times. This increases operational costs, especially when wear is high and the resulting maintenance is frequent.

Grafische Darstellung eines Ventilverteilers mit seinem Bauraum; Pfeil; Symbol mit Schraubenzieher und Schraubenschlüssel, gekreuzt

Intelligent valve block solutions for safe and efficient chromatography processes

Bürkert helps you make your sterile processes – in chromatography, for example – more economical and of course safer. We support you with block solutions that are individually tailored to your production, with optimised cleaning capability as well as high reliability and energy efficiency. With a decentralised automation solution you can permanently monitor the system. This helps you find and rectify errors more quickly and make your production processes more efficient.

Thanks to the Robolux Type 2036’s minimum dead space and optimised fluidic design, the chromatography system can be cleaned quickly and without residue, even with aggressive CIP media. Since the media aren’t mixed, you avoid follow-up costs as well as contamination and ensure the quality of the end products. You save money through the safe and efficient distribution, extraction and emptying of the columns. While conventional valve manifolds often have a dead space volume of approx. 90ml, the Robolux only has a dead space volume of approx. 22ml.

The extremely compact design of the Robolux Type 2036 makes it possible to design space-saving machines and provides fitters with significantly more room, which speeds up maintenance and repair activities. By switching from conventional solutions to the compact Robolux, you increase your output and thus your plant efficiency – without the need for extra space.

With certified automation solutions from Bürkert you can monitor your system at all times using intelligent diagnostic functions and digital communications. You can easily integrate distributed and decentralised automation units directly at the installation site while special features such as the teach function ensure fast start-up, for example when retrofitting or adding intelligent solutions, all of which makes a significant contribution to system availability.

Graphische Darstellung Robolux Membranventil mit Steuerkopf

The faster you put the system back into operation after maintenance, the more efficient your capacity utilisation will be. Since Robolux has two valve seats actuated by one diaphragm, routine diaphragm swaps take only half as long as with conventional solutions, for example.

Designed for controlling ultra-pure, sterile and aseptic media, the Type 2036 Robolux multiway diaphragm valve is the ideal solution for your chromatography processes.

How you can save on maintenance with our valve block solution

A chromatography skid contains multiple valves whose diaphragms are usually replaced once a year. Unlike conventional valve solutions with two diaphragms, the Robolux Type 2036 multiway diaphragm valve operates with only one diaphragm. The following calculation illustrates the potential time savings when replacing a conventional solution with Robolux. In this example, we assume 30 valves in the chromatography sector for a conventional solution. With Robolux you only need 15 diaphragms.

Conventional solution Robolux

How you can reduce product mixing with our valve block solution

Greater productivity thanks to smaller dead space: Three fluidic concepts result in three differently sized dead spaces. Your productivity improves if you can reduce dead spaces and thus minimise product mixing. Find out how big your savings potential can be in a concrete calculation example.

You can find more interesting information on the topic here:

Efficient and reliable solutions for pharmaceutical production processes

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Extremely compact and space-saving design
Reduced installation costs
Reduced number of valves and welds

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Automated fluidics solutions for machines in the pharmaceutical industry

Developing, producing and installing machines for sterile environments requires a wealth of specialist knowledge, for example in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. You are faced with the challenge of meeting the very high quality standards of the pharmaceutical industry and at the same time effectively managing your own company.

Find out how Bürkert can support you in all project phases and develop automation solutions for you that offer your customer real added value – even in international projects.

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