| The separation and purification of large, complex molecules and biological products is of great concern to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The techniques currently employed are constantly evolving in order to produce faster, more efficient and less expensive methods. Ceramic monoliths have been successfully used as stationary supports in chromatographic separation techniques due to small pressure drop, low mass transfer resistance and ability to withstand attrition. This thesis describes the use of coated ceramic monoliths as supports for ion exchange chromatography.; Adsorption and desorption experiments of monomethoxy-polyethylene glycol are carried out using both activated monoliths and packed beds. Results indicated that the adsorption of the charged solution is limited by the relative size of the molecules being separated. It was found that the monoliths showed a larger capacity for separation than traditional packed beds and the overall procedure is accomplished orders of magnitudes faster when monolithic cores are employed. |
