What sort of pump should I be using for my chromatography column? I’m running a 24” glass column from bvv with a60 silica gel. I ran vac from the bottom through a flask on the first couple of runs and was slightly successful, but it wasn’t really passing through the column as quick as I would like it to.
try a peristaltic dosing pump? I’m no expert
I used peristaltic pumps for large chromatography columns. You can make almost 20-30psi on most systems before your tubes start ballooning. More rollers equals less pulse.
Pressure sensor before column and after column to monitor locking (idk if this happens in cannabis, haven’t had the pleasure of running a large BPG in cannabis oleoresins). If your solute is conductive or elutes in salt then you can throw a conductivity sensor at the bottom to monitor fractions.
Here’s an example from many years ago on a large scale plasmid prep I did.
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Wait. So you and @Apothecary36 are suggesting the OP pressurize his glass chromatography column? I think that sounds like a really bad idea. Really bad!
@JAHUniversal, have you ever run a chromatography column before or done any 3D filtration? It’s never as fast as people want. Yes, pressure, in my experience tends to be much faster, but please, for the love of god don’t pressurize your glass column. Won’t be faster when you factor in trips to the ER and lead times on new equipment.
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Flash columns are meant to be pressurized. Not that much though. Make sure to check the manufacturer specifications
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You put a balloon or glove on the system as a prv homie
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Idk about that claim. @MagisterChemist is right check ya specs
Sorry I didn’t realise we’re talking about a bvv column. I read bvv silica.
Don’t take that thing to 30 psi.
There are plenty of columns cheap enough used that can handle that psi. The one above is a GE BPG.
And that one you showed the specs for doesn’t show as being constructed of glass. The OP clearly stated it was glass (and did not specify the make/model being used), hence my reservation about pushing 30 psi into it.
@Apothecary36, what’s the approximate rating on a glove or balloon? How and where is it attached? I assume method of attachment would also play a role in determining how many psi one could achieve. That isn’t a method I have employed previously. And what happens when the makeshift PRV gives and shoots solvent a cannabinoids all over?
I was thinking about adding maybe 5 pounds to the top while also pulling vac from the bottom and finding the balance. Really I was just trying to find out what’s sort of equipment would work best. What sort of pump(maybe a link to one) maybe a good pressure regulator, that sort for thing
I ghetto rigged a prv by adding in this vacuum take off adapter and taping the glove with gorilla tape to the 24/40 joint on top. The peristaltic pump fed air pressure into the hose barb. The male joint went into the top of my column
https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Short-Vacuum-Take-Off-Adapter/dp/B01695TZYQ#
The one I posted is glass, just look at the video. The only time I used steel columns was the GE fine line for anion exchange resins. Here’s a picture of the family of glass columns.
Look up GE BPG axial compression columns.
My silicon tubes popped before any damage ever happened to the hundreds of columns I ran. Many were at 25-30 psi.
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Thank you for that. I (lazily) didn’t look it up. I just went of the picture you posted.
@JAHUniversal, mind posting a link to which one you purchased from BVV?
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how much plasmid did you need?!?
in the days before PCR I presume…
edit: wow! I thought I was doing well yielding 10+mg on large scale plasmid preps.
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This was a 2-5g pDNA campaign in the video.
I worked at a larger DNA mfg. Facility. They feed everyone. I asked one of the vets and they said they had done a 20g run before. Incredible amounts of DNA.
After seeing conc. DNA in buffered water I got the thought - what do you think it tastes like? It looks like syrup
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This is the column I have and I’m currently using a vac flask with a silicone wine cork top to pull vac into the flask.
EDIT: I am also using 600grams of A60 silica from USALab at a 10:1 ratio with cbd distillate
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What does your paperwork on the column give for pressure ratings, if any? If there wasn’t any info, have you called BVV to ask?
@anon45638961, @Apothecary36, and @MagisterChemist, y’all still feel like @JAHUniversal should be pressurizing that vessel?
Not to the extreme. In college, for flash columns we used the facility nitrogen line. Fill the head with one round of solvent and apply a small amount of pressure as to not flex the bed or run out of solvent too quickly. I used a gas adapter elbow attached to the n2 line and pushed it down as pressure was needed but never made a complete seal so that pressure never was allowed to build out of control.
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This is what we use, https://www.spxflow.com/bran-luebbe/products/procam-diaphragm-metering-pump/
Were using these on stainless columns, we have cheaper versions we use in our pilot lab on glass columns, but they are thick pressure rated glass columns.
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