Biochemical engineering aspects of expanded bed adsorption

The economic feasibility of a biotechnological production process is directly linked to the number and efficiency of the processes required during purification in order to reach the requested product specifications. Expanded bed adsorption is an integrated process that combines solid-liquid separation and product recovery into a single unit operation. This approach suggests an increased overall yield, lower requirements for capital investments and consumables and most importantly a reduced process time. The success of an integrative process is, however, closely linked to a detailed understanding of the biochemical principles involved and the constraints arising from feedstock complexity. This paper reviews the hydrodynamic principles that expanded bed adsorption is based on, discusses current developments in resin and column design, and finally presents a methodology for targeted process development in expanded bed adsorption.