Preparative Purification of Solanesol from Tobacco Leaf Extracts by Macroporous Resins

In the present study, the preparative purification of solanesol by macroporous resins was studied. The adsorption and desorption properties of solanesol on macroporous resins including SP207, SP700, SP825, SP850 and HP20 were compared. SP850 resin offered the best adsorption and desorption capacities based on the research results. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to describe the interactions between the solutes and resin at different temperatures, and the experimental data fits best to the Freundlich isotherms. Adsorption and desorption kinetic curves were obtained for solanesol adsorption on SP850 resin in the temperature range of 298–303 K. The results showed that the mobility of solanesol adsorption increased and the proportion of adsorbed solanesol decreased with increasing temperature. The adsorption kinetic curve can be classified into three portions, i.e., instantaneous adsorption stage, intraparticle diffusion stage and the final equilibrium stage. Dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments were carried out with the column packed by SP850 resin to optimize the separation process. The isocratic and stepwise operations were designed for the separation of solanesol. The use of stepwise elution allowed a reduction in the process time and solvent consumption, but also led to some loss in purity. The corresponding optimal parameters for adsorption and desorption were determined. According to the research results, it can be concluded that SP850 resin possesses a good ability to separate solanesol and the results in this study may provide scientific references for large‐scale solanesol production from tobacco leaf extracts. Solanesol is an important compound originating from tobacco leaves. Its purification and recovery have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry. An efficient and economical method is developed for purifying and recovering solanesol using macroporous resins. The results may provide scientific guidance for large‐scale solanesol production.