Comparative modeling of breakthrough curves of bovine serum albumin in anion-exchange chromatography

The experimental results of a previous study of the mass transfer kinetics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in ion-exchange chromatography, under nonline ar conditions, were reevaluated using the general rate model of chromatogra phy. Solutions of this model were obtained numerically. The influences of a xial dispersion, the resistance to mass transfer from the bulk mobile phase to the surface of the packing particles, and the intraparticle mass transf er resistances on the profiles of the breakthrough curves of BSA were inves tigated. The results obtained are compared to those of a previous investiga tion of the same data, using the simple transport-dispersive model and the lumped pore diffusion model. The results obtained show that the use of an o versimplified model for the analysis of chromatographic data can lead to er roneous interpretations of the experimental data and to misunderstandings o f the fundamentals of the processes involved. Finally, a theoretical compar ison between the properties and the range of application of the three model s is provided. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.