The present invention relates to a flow-through device comprising at least one separation column wherein a first packing component, which comprises particles of alumina and/or silica, and a second packing component, which comprises a powder of one or more hygroscopic salts are provided. The two packing components may be blended or layered in the device, which may comprise a single tube or a plurality of tubes arranged in a plate format, such as the wells of a multiwall plate or tubes in a rack. In addition, the invention relates to a method for removing one or more matrix components, such as pigments, from a biological sample, by passing said sample across a first packing component, which comprises particles of alumina and/or silica, and a second packing component, which comprises a powder of one or more hygroscopic salts.

The automated sampling system has a water tight case that encloses a testing instrument. In the preferred embodiment, the testing instrument is a field-portable ion chromatography instrument designed to test water samples. In operation, a controller directs a syringe pump to draw fluid from outside the system through a specialized filter with a continuous flow lower reservoir. When directed by the controller, the syringe pump then injects the sample water into a testing portion of the field-portable ion chromatography instrument.

A method for manipulating ion concentration to maximize ion exchange media performance is disclosed herein. First a source liquid is directed through an ion concentrator such as a nanofilter, reverse osmosis membrane, or an evaporator/crystallizer. The ion concentrator separates the source liquid into a concentrate stream and a permeate stream wherein the permeate stream comprises a smaller concentration of ions than the concentrate stream. The concentrate stream and/or the permeate stream (input stream) may then be directed through an ion exchange vessel. The ion exchange vessel receives the input stream, enables ion exchange between the ion exchange media in the vessel and the input stream resulting in a liquid output having a smaller concentration of ions than the input stream.

The invention provides columns (including pipette tip columns) and automated methods for the purification of nucleic acids including plasmids. Nucleic acids can be purified from unclarified, clarified or partially-clarified cell lysates that contain cell debris. The columns typically include a bed of medium positioned above a bottom frit and with an optional top frit. Plasmid preparation scales include miniprep, midiprep, maxiprep, megaprep and gigaprep.

The invention relates to a method for recovering lithium during the preparation of the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, comprising: carrying out a shredding process, wherein at least one lithium-ion battery is mechanically shredded into fragments in the presence of a protective fluid that is in contact with the lithium-ion battery, following the shredding process, passing the protective fluid through a sorbent, wherein lithium ions contained in the protective fluid are bound by the sorbent, and a sorbent enriched with lithium ions is obtained, and passing a desorption fluid through the sorbent enriched with lithium ions, wherein lithium ions are desorbed from the sorbent by the desorption fluid, and a desorption fluid enriched with lithium ions is obtained.

A filter for a chromatography system includes a filter body having an exterior wall, a cavity, an interior wall surrounding the cavity and a channel extending between the exterior and interior walls. The channel passes a flow of a liquid from the cavity. The filter body is formed of a sintered metal oxide material and has a pore size that is less than a particle size to be filtered liquid. In some embodiments the filter body is formed of zirconium oxide or aluminum oxide. The filters reduce or eliminate the types of reactions that occur between conventional filter bodies and chromatographic solvents and samples. The filters can be used at different locations in a chromatography system to remove particles that may be present in sources of chromatographic solvents or introduced into the chromatographic system flow by chromatographic components, such as pumps, valves and other chromatographic system components.

Automated two step chromatography purification system comprising a, system controller, a capture flow path comprising at least one pump, an elution flow path comprising at least one pump, and a valve arrangement for selective connection of two capture columns to the capture flow path and the elution flow path respectively such that both flow paths may be operated simultaneously and in parallel.

The automated sampling system has a water tight case that encloses a testing instrument. In the preferred embodiment, the testing instrument is a field-portable ion chromatography instrument designed to test water samples. In operation, a controller directs a syringe pump to draw fluid from outside the system through a specialized filter with a continuous flow lower reservoir. When directed by the controller, the syringe pump then injects the sample water into a testing portion of the field-portable ion chromatography instrument.

A method of extracting sweet compounds from stevia plant powder includes mixing stevia powder and deionized water to create a stevia powder slurry, filtering the slurry and adding it to an extraction column, adding an ethanol solution to create an elute, mixing the elute with activated charcoal and filtering the elute, removing the ethanol and water from the elute, and spraying the elute to produce the sweet compounds.

This invention relates generally to a process for selective adsorption and recovery of lithium from natural and synthetic brines, and more particular to a process for recovering lithium from a natural or synthetic brine solution by passing the brine solution through a lithium selective adsorbent in a continuous countercurrent adsorption and desorption circuit.