Reverse osmosis to concentrate the lisinopril after a low-pressure liquid chromatography was
tested under various process conditions on a pilot-scale unit. It was found that the permeate
flux 20−30 L/hm2 can be kept over the whole concentration range with a feed pressure up to 35
bar and that fouling is negligible. The rejection of lisinopril is almost complete. These data were
used for a conceptual design and installation of an industrial scale reverse osmosis unit with
the membrane surface area 60 m2 and capacity of 1.5 m3/h permeate. The capital cost estimate
is significantly lower compared to a single-stage vacuum evaporator. The operating cost estimate
for evaporation is roughly $6.8/kg lisinopril, while the estimated cost for concentration of lisinopril
solution with reverse osmosis taking into account the theoretical energy consumption by pumps
is $0.23−0.33/kg lisinopril. Cost calculated from actual plant data is even lower, $0.16/kg
lisinopril. The validation results of the full-scale unit and its trouble-free operation prove that
the decision for reverse osmosis is economically justified and that the scale-up was technically
successful.
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