The separation of amino acids (α-phenylglycine and aspartic acid) and by-products (betaine), as they are biocompounds of food and pharmaceutical interest, was carried out with a new extraction technology using extractant-impregnated resins. This study demonstrates that this new technology is an alternative to the conventional separation processes.Biocompounds are extensively used as raw materials in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and health industries. It is important to recover them from fermentation broths or process effluents for economic and environment reasons in order to minimize water pollution. α-Phenylglycine is an important precursor in pharmaceutical industry in the production of β-lactam antibiotics, such as cephalosporines. Aspartic acid and phenylalanine are mainly used in the synthesis of the low-calorie sweetener, aspartame. Betaine is used as a digestive aid being particularly helpful for persons with insufficient acid production in the stomach, it is also used to reduce homocysteine levels, as an ingredient in toothpaste, in cosmetic products and in feeds.Extraction with impregnated resins (EIR) is a novel hybrid technology which combines the high capacity and selectivity of liquid-liquid extraction technique, with the advantages of separation processes with ion exchange resins, which allow to process high quantities of diluted solutions, using simple and low cost equipments, such as fixed or fluidized beds. In this work separation of amino acids was investigated by impregnation of Amberlite XAD-4 resin with tri-alkylmethylammonium chloride (TOMAC) and for betaine separation the same resin was impregnated with dinonilnaftalensulfonic acid (DNNSA).
Research was carried out by the following steps:-Impregnation study of the polymeric support with the extractant.-Experimental determination of α-phenylglycine and aspartic acid extraction equilibria, isolated or in binary mixtures with EIR, under different initial amino acid concentrations and pH. Equilibrium models which take account of the simultaneous reactive extraction of the amino acids or hydroxyl ions with the extractant are performed in order to design separation dynamic process with EIR fixed beds.-Kinetics studies in a batch stirred tank. The sorption rates of α-phenylglycine and aspartic acid isolated and in binary mixtures with EIR have been investigated. Kinetic models were used for the determination of the rate-controlling steps and diffusion coefficients values.-Extraction and back-extraction of α-phenylglycine and aspartic acid in fixed bed packed with EIR were studied. The effects of the feed flow rate, amino acid concentration in the feed solution, pH and extractant concentration in the impregnated resin on the breakthrough curves, were investigated. A dynamic model that considers intraparticle diffusion and external liquid film diffusion as limiting steps in mass transfer rates is applied. It was also designed an extraction and back-extraction process with two fixed beds packed with EIR for fractionation of amino acids in mixtu...