Modelling the performance of membrane nanofiltration—recovery of a high-value product from a process waste stream

For traditional separation processes there are widely available process design methodologies for scale-up and optimization. However, there is an increasing need for such a rational approach to membrane separation processes, identifying at an early stage operating limits and process options. Such predictive models will reduce development risk and time, thus promoting the wider use of membrane technology in process industries such as pharmaceutical manufacture. Design methods exist that have been verified experimentally at the laboratory scale for simple aqueous solutions. There is now a need for the application of the existing theoretical and experimental methods to separations of real industrial interest. In this paper, we demonstrate this philosophy by describing the rationale for modelling the performance of membrane nanofiltration (NF) used in the recovery of sodium cefuroxime, an industrially important cephalosporin antibiotic having activity against most gram-positive cocci. Sodium cefuroxime is produced in a multi-stage biotransformation process with final purification achieved by low-temperature crystallization with excess quantities of sodium lactate. The efficiency of the crystallization process is not 100% and cefuroxime is lost in the waste stream from the crystallization units. Traditionally, this waste stream has been sent for industrial disposal as the concentrations of sodium cefuroxime are too low for normal separation processes to recover. A systematic study of three commercially available membranes indicated that the Desal-5-DK membrane was most suitable for the recovery process. Excellent agreement between the experimental findings and model predictions was observed for batch NF and a membrane charge isotherm was developed for use in process modelling. The full-scale recovery process was modelled theoretically and NF proved more than adequate for the separation required. An estimate of the industrial scale process operating constraints was made and the NF process was considered as a favourable modification to existing plants.