Numerical estimation of multicomponent adsorption isotherms in preparativechromatography: implications of experimental error

Since experimental methods for measuring multicomponent adsorption isotherm s are extremely tedious, numerical approaches are an attractive alternative . Here, the variance in isotherm parameters as a function of experimental e rror in measured effluent concentrations is quantified. The number of exper imental replicates needed to obtain isotherm parameters to a desired level of accuracy is calculated explicitly. After the covariance matrix of the pa rameters has been determined, Monte Carlo methods are found to be rapid and effective. The use of different kinds of experiments, the effect of resolu tion and loading, and the impact of the number of measured data points are described. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.