Systems and devices for producing biological products and methods of using the same are provided. An example universal skid includes a rigid support and a plurality of flow-channel hardware sets. Each flow-channel hardware set couples with a respective flow channel of a plurality of flow channels for unit operations. The flow-channel hardware sets allow the flow channels to operate in parallel or in series for continuous processing over the unit operations. An example modular assembly includes one or more single-use kits for one or more unit operations and a universal skid coupled with the one or more single-use kits. An example manufacturing system includes multiple modular assemblies coupled with each other allowing continuous processing within each modular assembly, in between the modular assemblies, fully continuous processing across multiple unit operations.

The invention relates to a fluid distributor (9,10)for a column (1)comprising at least one cell (2) containing a bed of particles (3), the fluid distributor (9, 10) comprising: - a floor (11, 21) comprising at least one injection point (15, 25) providing a fluidic connection on either side thereof; - a layer of resistive medium (12, 22) fixed on one face of the floor(11, 21), the resistive medium being permeable to the fluid; - a spacing device (13, 23) inserted between the floor (11, 21) and the layer of reistive medium (12, 22) and maintaining a space for the circulation of the fluid between the floor (11, 21) and the layer of resistive medium (12, 22). The invention also relates to a column, in particular a chromatography column, provided with this fluid distributor.

A method of generating a refined sugar stream that comprises xylose from a biomass hydrolysis solution, including contacting a biomass hydrolysis solution that includes a population of mixed sugars comprising xylose, an acid, and impurities, with a thermally-phase separable solvent such as a glycol solvent to form an extraction mixture; and separating from said extraction mixture a first stream including the thermally-phase separable solvent, acid, and impurities and a second, refined sugar stream that comprises xylose. The thermally-phase separable solvent is an ethylene glycol or a propylene glycol ether, such as 2-butoxyethanol or 1-propoxy-propanol or any combination thereof.

A process for separating at least one inositol from a carob extract, may include: chromatographically separating pinitol a first carob extract in at least one passage on a chromatographic resin, thus obtaining an aqueous solution comprising the pinitol in a range of from 35 to 70 wt. 8, based on a total aqueous solution weight, the aqueous solution having a Brix value of 20 or lower. The first carob extract may be filtered and demineralized carob extract having a Brix value greater than 60 and comprising the pinitol in a range of 5 to 25 wt. %, based on a total first carob extract weight.

A method for operating a chromatography setup of a bioprocess installation with a plurality of chromatography columns, each with a column inlet and a column outlet, and a valve switching cassette with a group of inlet ports, a group of outlet ports, a group of column-in ports and a group of column-out ports. It is prosed, that a first liquid stream of concentrated buffer is introduced into a first internal liquid line via a first inlet port and that a second liquid stream of diluent is introduced into a second internal liquid line via a second inlet port, that in a dilution process, the array of valve units is switched as to create a third liquid stream by merging the first liquid stream and the second liquid stream at a merging location within the valve switching cassette.

A process for preparing cyclic dehydration products from sugar alcohols is described. The process involve using a mixed-acid catalyst reaction mixture containing a reducing acid, having a pKa of about 1.0-1.5, and at least a strong Brnsted acid or a Lewis acid, having a pKa0, or both acids in a solution to dehydrate and ring close said sugar alcohol. Synergistically, the mixed-acid catalysis can produce greater amounts of the desired product at similar levels of compositional accountability than either of the component acid catalysts acting alone.

A process for producing paraxylene is provided. The process includes separating a first mixture of C.sub.8 aromatic hydrocarbons in a simulated moving bed apparatus using a desorbent to produce (i) an extract comprising 50.0 wt % of the paraxylene in the first mixture; (ii) a desorbent-rich raffinate comprising 75 wt % of the desorbent withdrawn, and (iii) an desorbent-lean raffinate comprising 25 wt % of the desorbent withdrawn in the desorbent-rich and desorbent-lean raffinates. The desorbent-lean raffinate can then, without an intervening separation step, be passed to a refinery process or a vapor phase isomerization reaction to produce an effluent comprising paraxylene in a greater concentration than the desorbent-lean raffinate. The desorbent-rich raffinate can be passed to a liquid phase isomerization reaction to produce an effluent comprising paraxylene in a greater concentration than the desorbent-rich raffinate.

The present invention relates to methods of processing lignocellulosic material to obtain hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose and other high-value products. Also provided are hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose, and other high-value products.

The present invention relates to methods of processing lignocellulosic material to obtain hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose and other high-value products. Also provided are hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose, and other high-value products.

A method of isolating and purifying 1,2,5,6 hexanetetrol (HTO) from a reaction mixture containing HTO and other byproducts of a hydrogenation reaction of a sugar alcohol and/or a mono- or di-dehydrative product of a sugar alcohol is described. The method involves contacting the mixture comprising HTO and other C1-C6 alcohols and polyols with a resin material adapted for chromatography under conditions where HTO preferentially associates with the resin relative to other components in the mixture, and eluting HTO from said resin with a solvent.