A dilute biological product is loaded on a fixed-bed adsorption column.  Immediately after 60 minutes, a measurable amount of product first appears in the effluent; and at 90 minutes, the effluent concentration approximately equals the feed concentration.  Since this product is rather cheap, some loss is acceptable; and the column normally is shut down at 75 minutes, washed and eluted.  Determine the column efficiency, θ , if the column is operated for 75 mins (i.e., breakthrough time = 75 mins) as described.  Recall that the column efficiency equals the amount of solute loaded at breakthrough divided by the bed capacity at a given feed concentration.  For this calculation, you may assume that the breakthrough curve is approximated by a straight line beginning at 60 mins.  Note that the simple expression for θ derived in class does not apply here.    

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1 Column Efficiency Calculation The column efficiency theta is defined as the amount of solute loade... View the full answer