Presentation of purification

How does ARD purify useful molecules?

Purification is a fundamental stage that results in an extract with high concentrations of the useful substances or a pure molecule. ARD's teams are capable of integrating these stages, commonly called downstream processing (DSP), resulting in targeted, and economically and industrially viable bio-based molecules.

1- Purification within the process

The purification plant extracts or fermentation must, involves a succession of unit operations acting on the various states of the substance, whether it be solid or liquid. To make the process as efficient and economical as possible, during downstream processing, ARD defines the series of processing operations, which include the various steps needed to obtain the desired components (extraction of active ingredients, separation of solid/liquid phases, purification, concentration etc.).
The development of plant fractionation has revealed many functional molecules that can be used in different ways depending on the applications and industries targeted.

2 - The different purification methods

One of ARD's areas of expertise resides in its capacity to determine the best separation process, which implies finding the right compromise between the expected quality of the extract and the economic or environmental constraints of full-scale production.
The choice of purification method for the molecules sought is, therefore, a major challenge, both for project sponsors and for ARD, which develops innovative purification plants to constantly find commercial opportunities for biomoecules and meet its customers' needs. In addition to now traditional processes like milling, pressing, and frontal filtration, it is also possible to use other processes  like chromatography, tangential filtration, and electrodialysis, for example, to separate molecules.
Many plant extracts and many cosmetic active ingredients are the product of specific purification processes, which require additional steps before they can be used as ingredients in finished products. It's by mastering such processes, and constantly searching for new ones, that ARD has become a key partner for many companies whose operations it helps to scale up.