Telephone (+49)231 755-2339
Fax (+49)231 755-2341
Laboratory of Plant and Process Design Emil-Figge-Str. 70 Geschossbau 2 44227 Dortmund Germany
Room G2-R3.20
Dominik Bergs studied biochemical engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund. Beginning in 2004, he graduated in 2009 with a diploma thesis dealing with the extraction of butyl alcohol with ionic liquids. Since February 2010 he works as PhD student at the Laboratory of Plant and Process Design at the Technical University of Dortmund. His research deals with the chromatographic purification of natural products.
Currently used phases for chromatographic purification of natural products are characterized by high costs, which is why a large scale isolation of plant extracts seems to be uneconomical. Here, the project „Chromatographic purification of natural products" is scheduled pursuing the aim to develop new, reasonable carrier materials with innovative functionalization of the surfaces. In addition, the steadily rising concentrations in the mixtures to be separated from biotechnological processes should be considered with an innovative methodology for chromatographic processes.
The conventional approach consists in the fact that at first the stationary phase, i.e. an adsorbent or ionexchanger is chosen and afterwards the separation is optimized by variation of the solvent or his composition. The disadvantages of this approach, a restricted solubility and a complex processing of complicated solvent mixtures, should be avoided by proceeding vice versa. With the methodology to be developed, the optimal solvent is determined first, followed by the variation of phases by a combination of different sorbents. After the end of the project a standard methodology should be available which helps to select a chromatographic system.
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