CAEC · Continuous Annular Electro-Chromatography

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) combines the high separation efficiency of capillary electrophoresis with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and provides a powerful tool for the separation of a wide range of both neutral and charged components. The proposed integration of this technology and the rotating system of annular chromatography into a continuous annular electrochromatography (CAEC) would increase the throughput up to 20,000 times whilst maintaining an efficiency of more than 100,000 theoretical separation stages per meter. This extends the range of applicability from analytical purposes towards safe and flexible ultra small-scale production of extremely high-value-added products early on in the development stages. The project is thus expected to significantly enhance the sustainability of pharmaceutical and chemical production by providing equipment for highly intensified purification processes. The development of CAEC units as a new generation of extremely flexible high-performance process equipment requires specialised engineering skills and high-precision manufacturing techniques. A wide range of applications will be offered by the development of tailored stationary phases while an improved understanding of the complex processes occurring at different scales is used to model the performance of the CAEC system. An elaborated prototype including on-line sensors and a sophisticated process control concept will be developed and validated under industrial conditions during a demonstration phase. This will guarantee a fast uptake of the projects results and allow for an approved industrial production of the new process equipment within 1 to 2 years after the end of the project. The consortium includes an end user from pharmaceutical industry to ensure the relation to practice as well as highly innovative equipment manufactures capable of producing the required devices and standardised components at affordable costs.