Transport and kinetics in synthetic and immunospecific adsorption columns

Immunological or physicochemical adsorption can be used to remove specific proteins from plasma. The most common adsorption systems are based on the principle of affinity or adsorption chromatography. An adsorption column can be considered to be analogous to a packed bed, and transport is modeled by accounting for solute convection, accumulation, uptake, and axial dispersion within the bed. Adsorption kinetics and transport within particles of the packed bed need to be described. The solution of model equations is solute specific and generally requires numerical methods. The application of column adsorption systems to on-line therapeutic adsorption is constrained by flow considerations, which influence processing time; adsorbent capacity, which dictates column volume and hence design; and adsorbent stability, which may impact on patient safety.