Dynamic Adsorbents Activated Alumina Applications - Lead Removal, PCB Removal, Uranium Removal, Arsenic Removal, Environmental Cleanup, Clean Environment, Pharmaceutical Purification, Chromatography, Gas Dehydration

Improvements in sorbent technology are implemented in order to satisfy our customer’s demanding needs. DAI sorbents are designed and manufactured to address your specific application requirements. Sorbent defined variables critical to a superior separation include the pore size and particle size. The ability to reproducibly modify the pore size as well as pore channeling is what takes Dynamic Adsorbents to the forefront of the separation science industry.

Below are just some of the applications for which specialized sorbents are manufactured by DAI.

Environmental Cleanup
1. Removal of oil from sea water
2. PCB removal
3. Removal of arsenic, lead, copper, uranium and other heavy metals
4. Pesticide removal
5. Bio-mass clean-up
6. Removal of dyes or color from water
7. Removal of fluoride
Clean Energy
- Gas and liquid dehydration
- Lithium Purification
- Transformer oil clean-up
Pharmaceutical Applications
1. Alkaloid Purification
  1. Purification of known and novel compounds
  2. Removal of dyes or color from plant alkaloids
2. Taste and odor masking
3. Controlled drug release
4. Pyrogen removal
5. Antibiotics
6. Nutraceuticals
7. Lipids
8. Counterfeit Drugs
Removal of Contaminants from Solvents
1. Transformer oil clean-up
2. Lead removal
Use in University Laboratories
1. Research
2. Isolation of desired molecule or compound
Chromatography Uses of Alumina
1. Isolation from alkaloids
2. Isolation and purification of antibiotics
3. Removal of terpenes from essential oils
4. Isolation of active substances in plant extraction
5. Dehydration of organic solvents
6. Purification of enzymes
7. Isolation in glycosides
8. Lead removal from water
9. Isolation and purification of synthetic products, of ketosteroids from neutral materials with hormones
10. Purification of organic solvents for analytical and technical purposes
11. Clarification of fatty oils and separation of fatty acids
12. PCB removal from solvents
13. Removal of peroxides form organic solvents
14. Removal of pyrogens from injectable solutions and infusions
15. Various medicinal extracts from plants

Alumina oxide is the sorbent of choice for the separation of basic compounds which includes alkaloids, amines, steroids, terpenes, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. While more than 100 alkaloids are currently being used medically there are more than 420, 000 distinct plant species and less than 10% of them have been fully characterized. The process of purification follows the following sequence:

1. Extraction of the raw material from the plant species
2. Separation of the total alkaloids from the other extracted substances
3. Separation of the alkaloids
4. Purification of each of the individual alkaloids

For example the plant species Catharanthus Roseus contains more than 90 unique alkaloid substances. Only the highest resolution separation will allow these unique compounds to be isolated and purified. The decision on which activated alumina to use will be based on the characteristics of the plant alkaloids, such as the compound polarity, solubility, molecular size and shape.

Antibiotics produced by the isolation of compounds produced in large scale fermentation broths demonstrate the benefits of using activated alumina for large scale industrial application. Glycopeptides such as vancomycin used for the treatment of methicillin resistant Staphylococcal aureus (MRSA) as well as for treating other gram positive bacteria resistant to penicillin are produced from the genus Actinomycetes. The antibiotic can be recovered by passing the fermentation product through a strong acid cation exchange resin at pH 1-3, and then eluting the vancomycin by raising the pH, then washing with a weak base anion exchange resin. The subsequent steps include running the fermentation through an alumina column and then decolorizing using alumina. Such a process allows large scale industrial production of this critical antibiotic at a time when vancomycin has become the most important drug agent in the treatment of a MRSA epidemic.

Similar application processes provide a cost effective solution for the production of other antibiotic agents. Activated alumina provides a role in both the isolation and purification of antibiotic compounds.

There is no known benefit to human health from arsenic. Arsenic in water is tasteless, odorless and colorless. Excess and preventable chronic disease and death led the EPA in 2006 to reduce the acceptable public water level of arsenic from 50 to 10 parts per billion. Excess exposure to arsenic increases the risk for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of lung, bladder, skin liver and kidney cancers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified arsenic as a Group I human carcinogen. The previous standard of 50 parts per billion gave over a 70 year lifetime a 1 in 100 chance of developing a solid tumor just on the basis of drinking water which is the risk equivalent of being killed in a motor accident. Removing arsenic from the water supply is therefore important. Higher levels of arsenic tend to be found in ground water sources than in surface water such as lakes and rivers. Adsorption technologies provide the easiest, most efficient and most cost efficient means of removing arsenic from the water supply. Activated alumina has become the adsorption method of choice. Only DAI has developed the means to remove both asenite and arsenate compounds in a single adsorptive process.

Decolorization – activated alumina has the ability to effectively remove impurities. The degree of color removal can be programmed by altering pore size, pH and particle size. Materials which can be decolorized by using activated alumina are as diverse as hydrocarbon oils, food oils such as olive oil, fatty acid derived nitriles, azo and other textile dyes, poly vinyl chloride, industrial carbon and antibiotics such as daunomycin and vancomycin.

Lead exposure in the body can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, brain, nervous system and red blood cells. Ignoring lead contaminated drinking water can eventually cause irreversible health effects and even death. Lead contamination in drinking water is usually due to plumbing corrosion in service lines, lead solder and brass fixtures. Water characteristics promoting the corrosion of water include low pH, low total dissolved solids, high water temperature and high concentrations of dissolved gases such as oxygen or carbon dioxide. Because of its acidic pH and low dissolved solid content such as calcium and magnesium soft water tends to be more corrosive than hard water. The two “point of use” technologies successful at removing lead from water are reverse osmosis and activated alumina. Activated alumina is a porous granular form of aluminum oxide possessing a large surface area and while amphoteric alumina for lead removal works best under acidic conditions, as in the range of pH 5.5 to 6.0. Smaller particles have greater surface area. Surface area as defined by particle size impacts on sorption capacity and rate of lead removal. AL 2000 activated alumina from DAI provides the simplest, most cost efficient method for the removal of lead from the water supply.

Nutraceuticals are referred to as phytochemicals or functional foods. They are natural bioactive chemical compounds which possess health promoting, disease preventing or medicinal properties. Because these agents have important biological properties they have fallen under the regulatory control of the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is granted the authority to promulgate current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) for dietary supplements. Specifications must be set and met for limits on contaminants such as heavy metals, solvent residues and microorganisms in finished products. Many of the nutraceutical products are of herbal origin, and their active chemical properties are based on plant alkaloids

As part of the new FDA legislation there is an entire subpart devoted to requirements for the operation of an analytical laboratory. The laboratory facilities must be adequate to perform whatever tests and examinations are necessary to determine if specifications are met for raw materials, materials in progress and finished goods. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is an excellent means for the qualitative identification of herbals and for purity evaluations. Given that fact that most botanical agents are plant alkaloids TLC plants coated with alumina have become the preferred screening tool of choice, as botanicals have species specific fingerprints. HPLC is an excellent tool for the quantitative analysis of marker compounds in botanical samples. Selecting a desired phytochemical is an appropriate method of establishing a quantitative analysis for a marker compound. Gas chromatography may be useful for the analysis of volatile marker compounds and residual solvents.

HPLC is the most efficient method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of many botanical agents, allowing great sensitivity, resolution, reproducibility and speed of analysis under inert conditions. The potency of this technique has been improved by the introduction of new detectors such as diode array detectors allowing detection at several wavelengths and simultaneous identification by UV spectral analysis as well as mass and nuclear magnetic resonance detectors. The reader is referred to the Primer on Column Chromatography available from Dynamic Adsorbents for further discussion regarding the use of HPLC techniques for nutraceutical purification.

Dynamic Adsorbents Inc. (DAI) has formulated a specialty adsorbent for the removal of PCBs from contaminated sites. Alumina C is a chemically and physically modified form of alumina with highly favorable properties for the collection and isolation of PCBs from the environment. During chromatography, PCB contaminated media is passed through a column packed with Alumina C. PCBs are separated from the media by the adsorption action that takes place when PCBs come into contact with the Alumina C, resulting in a PCB-free environment. The captured PCBs remain in the column with the alumina and may be disposed of using appropriate destruction technology. The use of this potent adsorbent serves as an efficient means to gather PCBs in one location, subsequently aiding destruction technologies in dechlorinating these hazardous compounds.

Using Alumina C for PCB removal is advantageous in many ways. First, the system is transportable and can be taken directly to the contaminated sites in need of clean-up. With this technique, there is no need for a physical plant to be established, eliminating high operating costs. Furthermore, there is no high energy cost involved because there are no high pressures or temperatures utilized during the process. The PCBs collected by Alumina C are gathered in one location and may be safely carried to their final disposal site. Moreover, the reagent is reusable, allowing for efficient use of all materials. Although chromatography uses batch processing rather than continuous in-line processing, this universal technique is proven to provide superior separation capabilities. Chromatography using Alumina C is a powerful separation technique incomparable to other methods.

DAI to Expand Role in the Forefront of Separation and Environmental Cleanup Technology

DAI’s role over the coming years is to remain in the forefront of separation and environmental cleanup technology by creating exciting new alumina and other products and solutions that most effectively deal with problems and issues impacting upon transportation, energy and public safety needs. Our goals are clearly focused. Stay tuned to this website for exciting news about product launches. We promise to demonstrate DAI’s role in working with government agencies, cutting edge scientific laboratories and companies to more effectively deal with many of the longstanding and growing problems facing our country as we help develop a cleaner and safer environment and better protect the public.