A parallel assembly of chromatography column modules connected in a rigid housing the assembly having one common assembly inlet and one common assembly outlet each column module comprising a bed space filled with chromatography medium and each column module comprises integrated fluid conduits which when the column module is connected with other column modules in the rigid housing are adapted to connect the bed space of the column module with the assembly inlet and the assembly outlet wherein the total length and/or volume of the fluid conduit from the assembly inlet to one bed space together with the length and/or volume of the fluid conduit from the same bed space to the assembly outlet is substantially the same for all bed spaces and modules installed in the parallel assembly.

The present invention relates to a liquid chromatography system for the separation of bio-molecules in a fluid including at least two unit operations, wherein the first unit operation is a step of multi-column chromatography and the second unit operation is a step modifying said bio-molecules and/or the fluid, wherein the modification comprises feeding the fluid resulting from the last chromatography column of the first unit operation into a system comprising at least two containers, wherein each container has a volume and a moveable sidewall arranged to divide the volume into a first sub-volume and a second sub-volume, and each container comprises a first port connected to the first volume and a second port connected to the second sub-volume. The invention also relates to a virus inactivation device for a chromatography system according to the invention, which enables continuous or semi-continuous processing of biomolecules, as well as a method of using such a device.

Distribution and collection panel comprising an upper screen (4), a collector (5), a separation plate (6) with outlet openings (11), a distributor (7), a lower screen (8), an injection/withdrawal tank (9) adjacent to the separation plate, and a jet breaker element (12) perpendicular to the flow (E) of a main fluid and comprising two solid jet breaker plates (13) that are: extended on either side of the injection/withdrawal tank; juxtaposed with the lower screen; disposed beneath the outlet openings (11); designed to direct the main fluid in the distributor in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the flow (E), the ratio I/L of the width I of the solid jet breaker plate to the width L of the lateral part of the separation plate being at least 0.1.

Chromatography apparatus and methods are described, especially for expanded bed adsorption. A column tube has a process fluid input device at the bottom and a movable piston in the top. The piston is enclosed in the column by a cover plate. The piston body has an inflatable seal, and is connected by a frame to a contact ring which carries another inflatable member to contact the tube wall. Process fluid leaves the operating volume through an opening of the piston and flexible hose, through the enclosed space and out through the cover plate. The space above the piston can be pressurised to control piston movement. The contact ring maintains piston alignment. The inflatable seals are used to fix the piston in position, allow it to slide or allow washing. The piston outlet may include a vortex-inhibitor. Bed and piston levels may be monitored by ultrasound sensors.

The invention relates to a method for purifying a target substance starting from a fluid to be treated which comprises at least one impurity. The method comprises treatment of a stream of the fluid to be treated using a chromatography step in a first separation unit, collection of a fraction enriched with the target substance in a first tank, and viral inactivation of the fraction enriched with the target substance. The viral inactivation comprises passing the fraction enriched with the target substance through a second separation unit, passing a viral inactivation solution through the second separation unit, mixing, and collecting the mixture in the second tank to obtain a fraction depleted of active virus. The method further comprises treatment of the fraction depleted of active virus using a chromatography step in the second separation unit and collection of a fraction more enriched with the target substance.

A process and system for separating paraxylene from a mixture of paraxylene, metaxylene, orthoxylene, and ethylbenzene in a simulated moving bed apparatus using a membrane to separate non-aromatics from a desorbent stream. The lower nonaromatics content in the desorbent improves paraxylene product purity, increases paraxylene production at the same desorbent rate, reduces the desorbent rate, and/or reduces energy consumption in the product tower.

A process for the preparation of a carrier-free Ga-68 solution from an irradiated Zn target, systems comprising components used in the process, and compositions comprising Ga-68 prepared by the process. Purification of Ga-68 is carried out by feeding an irradiation target solution comprising Zn-68, Ga-68 and solid target assembly metals into a system comprising three chromatography columns in succession.

A method of recovering substantially rare earth elements (REEs) from magnets, including first dissolving a magnet to yield a solution containing Nd, Pr, and Dy, and then equilibrating a first column with Cu2+ solution to yield a first equilibrated column, introducing the solution to the first equilibrated column, and introducing a ligand solution to the first equilibrated column to establish three bands of different liquid compositions in the column, wherein the three bands comprise a Dy/Nd mixed band, a first pure Nd band, and a Nd/Pr mixed band. Next, sending the Dy/Nd mixed band to a second column containing a Cu2+ solution and introducing a ligand solution to the second column to establish a pure Dy band and a second pure Nd band in the second column, and sending the Nd/Pr mixed band to a third column containing a Cu2+ solution and introducing a ligand solution to the third column to establish a third pure Nd band and a pure Pr band in the third column. Finally, eluting the respective pure Nd bands to recover Nd, eluting the pure Dy band to recover Dy, and eluting the pure Pr band to recover Pr.

A liquid chromatograph includes at least one mobile phase supply flow path (6; 42), at least one cleaning solution supply flow path (8; 44) joining the mobile phase supply flow path (6; 42), an analysis flow path (4) provided with a separation column (14), a sampling flow path (2) provided, at a tip end thereof, with a sampling needle (12), a switcher (10; 26) including a high-pressure valve (10) having an injection port (16) and configured to switch a flow path configuration of the liquid chromatograph between a loading state in which the analysis mobile phase supply flow path (6) and the analysis flow path (4) are connected in a fluid manner without the sampling flow path (2) and an injecting state in which the sampling flow path (2) is interposed between the analysis mobile phase supply flow path (6) and the analysis flow path (4) when a tip end of the needle (12) is inserted into the injection port (16), and a controller (50) configured to execute, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the cleaning operation of supplying the mobile phase and the cleaning solution to the analysis flow path (4) and/or the sampling flow path (2) to temporally change the composition of liquid flowing in the analysis flow path (4) and/or the sampling flow path (2).

A liquid chromatograph includes at least one mobile phase supply flow path (6; 42), at least one cleaning solution supply flow path (8; 44) joining the mobile phase supply flow path (6; 42), an analysis flow path (4) provided with a separation column (14), a sampling flow path (2) provided, at a tip end thereof, with a sampling needle (12), a switcher (10; 26) including a high-pressure valve (10) having an injection port (16) and configured to switch a flow path configuration of the liquid chromatograph between a loading state in which the analysis mobile phase supply flow path (6) and the analysis flow path (4) are connected in a fluid manner without the sampling flow path (2) and an injecting state in which the sampling flow path (2) is interposed between the analysis mobile phase supply flow path (6) and the analysis flow path (4) when a tip end of the needle (12) is inserted into the injection port (16), and a controller (50) configured to execute, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the cleaning operation of supplying the mobile phase and the cleaning solution to the analysis flow path (4) and/or the sampling flow path (2) to temporally change the composition of liquid flowing in the analysis flow path (4) and/or the sampling flow path (2).