Development of a Scalable and Sustainable High Performance CounterCurrent Chromatography (HPCCC) Purification for Spinosyn A and Spinosyn D from Spinosad

Abstract

© 2017 American Chemical Society. A high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) process was developed as a more efficient and sustainable alternative to reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for the pilot-scale purification of the naturally occurring fermentation-derived insecticides, spinosyn A and spinosyn D, the major components of spinosad insecticide. While on pilot scale HPCCC and RP-HPLC both gave > 99% purities and comparable combined recoveries of 77% and 83%, respectively, HPCCC was much more efficient and sustainable by producing a 60% higher productivity, 11 times higher solute loading, 96% savings in stationary phase costs, and 42% reduction in solvent usage. The increase in productivity and reduction in solvent usage further reduced waste recycle and disposal costs, thus presenting significantly less environmental impact compared to RP-HPLC separations. The use of mixing on demand for a solvent system at the preparative scale allowed a complete automation with minimized solvent consumption.