A process for separating glucose, fructose, and oligos from a homogenous aqueous feed solution containing alike, said process comprising of:
- (a) proceeding by a new mass transfer method containing at least one of following steps:
- (i) Retain solid phase resin material in a bundled group of predetermined quantity of columns, each column having an inlet on top side and an outlet on another side with bottom meshed filter to contain equal amount of said material from being drained;
- such bundled group of columns performing like partially fluidized beds as a whole unit named being cell hereinafter;
- in each column retaining equal amount of resin solid material as plurality of columns installed in a said cell, wherein installed resin amount in each column is equivalent to mass transfer zone in chromatography;
- the liquid inlet of cell is from top and liquid outlet of cell is from bottom;
- (ii) intermittently delivering predetermined amounts of mobile phase liquid material in portion as impulse input S-I dose dropping including aqueous feed solution, aqueous homogeneous mixture containing sugar components, and eluent water, to either promoting adsorption of dissolved components onto said resin material and meanwhile eluting adsorbed components from said resin;
- (iii) intermittently and simultaneously supplying broad range pressurized inert gas to each cell top side following each delivery of said mobile phase dose to force prompt draining such mobile phase through said solid phase material to complete expected mass transfer equilibrium via bonding affinity difference among sugar components between two phases;
- (iv) maintaining a closed vacuum environment on the other side of said solid phase material installed in said cell to maintain resin material in a semi-dry status;
- wherein said broad range pressurized inert gas being supplied from cell top and whereas vacuum being exerted from cell bottom;
- (v) collecting most of treated mobile phase liquid material from the outlet of cell bottom;
- (vi) defining total spent time of step (ii) through step (v) being minimal time interval;
- and
- (b) an apparatus integrating multiple modules contained in a closed loop and each module functioning independently, wherein each module connected in sequence and yet coordinated as a whole unit;
- expansion of particular component in size disposed in a module and/or operating of multiple modules in parallel being deemed as part of the disclosed apparatus;
- and furthermore, such addition of increasing quantity of same module and module connected in sequence as plurality of modules connected in sequence operated in parallel format also being governed under this disclosed apparatus;
- such apparatus comprising at least one of following modules:
- (i) Upstream Holding Tanks Module:
- having plurality of holding tanks disposed in an organized order setting inside an insulated warm water circulation jacket to maintain whole plurality in a selected temperature range;
- each said holding tank of whole plurality having an inlet liquid conduct extended outside upward of said jacket to receive liquid via a preferred mechanical device opened flipper, named as flipper 1 hereinafter disposed about bottom inside of said liquid conduct;
- each of said whole plurality holding tanks having an outlet liquid conduct extended outside downward of said jacket installed with another flipper, named as flipper 2 hereinafter disposed about top inside of said liquid conduct to hold the received liquid when flipper 2 being closed or to discharge liquid into following module when said flipper 2 being opened whereas said flipper 1 being closed;
- wherein driven force utilized for opening or closing a flipper via supplying broad pressure range of inert gas via its respective gas pipe disposed around each said holding tank top and bottom side;
- (ii) Upstream Rotary Union Module:
- this preferred module having a rotational circular multiple valves body driven by a Servo-motor rotate to intermittently stopped and stepped forward a predetermined equal angle in a run around selected direction;
- having a plurality of preferred top side liquid transit storage reservoirs orderly installed at predetermined location to simultaneously receiving said predetermined volume of liquid transferred from particular holding tank of aforesaid upstream holding tanks module and having equal quantity of preferred bottom liquid conduct orderly disposed at corresponding location;
- soon receiving of all kind liquid in each said liquid transit storage reservoirs being satisfied, said valve body promptly stepping forward one rotation angle step, then to precisely transmitting said predetermined volume of liquid to next following module and waiting for another round of liquid throughput;
- at any time interval between stopped and rotating step forward of said valve body, all kinds of liquid original stored in each said upstream holding tanks module is simultaneously delivered through means of supplying broad pressure range of inert gas to push such liquid delivery from particular holding tank via opened flipper through this Upstream Rotary Module to the following module;
- (iii) Separation Module:
- having a plurality of aforesaid cells organized in a similar order like said upstream holding tanks module being preferred set up;
- each cell comprising predetermined quantity of columns orderly disposed inside each cell;
- each column having an top side inlet and a bottom side outlet with meshed filter to contain equal amount of resin material from being drained;
- such plurality of cells disposed in an organized order setting inside an insulated warm water circulation jacket to maintain whole plurality of cells in a selected temperature range;
- each cell top having an inlet liquid conduct as temporary transit reservoir extended outside upward of said water jacket to receive particular liquid delivered from corresponding holding tank in said upstream holding tanks module through an opened flipper, named as flipper 3 hereinafter disposed around top inside of said liquid transit storage reservoir, through said upstream rotary union module and via a showerhead alike down below;
- such showerhead alike comprising of another preferred mechanical device flipper, named as flipper 4 hereinafter disposed inside in between bottom side of said temporary transit reservoir and top side of showerhead;
- via means of alternatively and simultaneously supplying of broad range pressurized inert gas through gas pipe connected in between said flipper 3 and flipper 4 of said temporary transit reservoir and another gas pipe disposed next to said temporary transit reservoir to intermittently dose dropping in parts of received liquid out of temporary transit reservoir resulting as impulse input S-I to promptly wet top portion and promptly sipping through resin bed to carry out expected mass transfer equilibrium;
- each said cell bottom side being exposed to said closed vacuum environment containing all said transit liquid reservoirs with its widely open top means to withdrawing wet inert gas via its gas exit pipe through manifold alike to maintaining said resin in a semi-dry status, and to affiliating liquid draining via disposed funneled shape liquid conduct;
- via another opened mechanical flipper, names as flipper 65 hereinafter disposed inside bottom of said funnel conduct, into each underneath temporary liquid reservoir;
- having a gas pipe connected with same manifold next to said wet inert gas exit pipe means for supplying broad range pressurized inert gas via this manifold to shut off said flipper 65 soon said vacuum environment being shut off, so that pushing entire drained liquid into following module via another opened flipper, named as flipper 5 hereinafter disposed around top inside of said bottom liquid conduct, wherein said inert gas manifold being disposed underneath said closed vacuum environment and being extended outside downward of said insulated warm water circulation jacket;
- (iv) Downstream Rotary Union Module:
- this preferred module having a rotational circular multiple valves body driven by a Servo-motor rotate to intermittently stopped and stepped forward a predetermined equal angle in a run around selected direction;
- having a plurality of preferred top side liquid transit storage reservoirs orderly installed at predetermined location to simultaneously receiving said drained liquid transferred from particular temporary liquid reservoir of aforesaid separation module and having equal quantity of preferred bottom liquid conduct orderly installed at corresponding location;
- soon receiving of all kind liquid in each said temporary liquid reservoirs being satisfied, said valve body promptly stepping forward one rotation angle step, then to precisely transmitting said entire volume of liquid to next assigned holding tank in following downstream holding tanks module and waiting for another round of liquid throughput;
- in event of steady state operation wherein valve body advance one rotation step means disclosed apparatus achieve one complete separation cycle;
- (v) Downstream Holding Tanks Module:
- having plurality of holding tanks disposed in an organized order setting inside an insulated warm water circulation jacket to maintain whole plurality in a selected temperature range;
- each said holding tank of whole plurality having a top side inlet liquid conduct extended outside upward of said jacket means for freely receiving particular fluid via a preferred mechanical device opened flipper, named as flipper 6 disposed about top inside of said liquid conduct;
- wherein driven force utilized for opening or closing said flipper 6 via supplying broad range pressurized inert gas via its respective gas pipe disposed about next to said inlet liquid conduct;
- each of said whole plurality holding tanks having an outlet liquid conduct extended outside downward of said jacket means for discharging stored liquid as pure glucose Raffinate into assigned storage tank;
- means for discharging pure fructose as Product into another assigned storage tank;
- and means for transmitting in part of available liquid stored in respective holding tank in predetermined volume recycling back via each volumetric pump into each assigned holding tank in aforesaid upstream holding tanks module;
- having preferred liquid level sensor installed inside each holding tank inasmuch as maintaining predetermined liquid level of stored liquid within, means via such level sensor being to control delivering sufficient volume of predetermined composition of sugar mixture via its liquid conduct disposed on top side of each holding tank to maintaining such predetermined liquid level setting within respective said holding tank;
- (vi) Inert Gas Supply Module means for focusing on setting up closed loop routing for supplying broad range pressurized inert gas inasmuch as incorporating with liquid fluid transmitting among said upstream holding tanks module, upstream rotary union module, separation module, downstream rotary union module, and downstream holding tanks module, wherein such inert gas module comprising closed vacuum environment loop, upstream broad range inert gas supplying loop, and downstream broad range inert gas supplying loop;
- and further setting up
- (c) a differential set-up protocols employed between said resin and various kinds of liquids including a feed solution, an eluent water, and a plurality of recycled liquids for intermittently delivering into said apparatus;
- further arranging such differential protocols and
- (d) a single stage recycle protocol employed onto said apparatus, via said new mass transfer method and through such combinations to retrieve all liquid streams including a raffinate stream of glucose enriched solution, a plurality of recycles streams, and a product stream of fructose enriched solution with steady characteristics in composition and concentration into respective holding tank in said downstream holding tanks module.