Analysis of the high-fructose syrup production using reactive SMB technology

This paper deals with the production of high-fructose syrup (HFS) from glucose isomerization using reactive simulated moving bed technology. The reversible reaction is catalyzed by the immobilized enzyme glucose isomerase. In a simulated moving bed reactor (SMBR), reaction and separation processes can be coupled to achieve complete reactant conversion. The isomerization kinetics is experimentally determined at 328 K by the Lineweaver–Burk technique. Basic adsorption data for the sugar isomers (glucose and fructose) were obtained with cationic exchange resin as adsorbent. A mathematical model based on the analogy with true moving bed reactor and its numerical solution based on finite volume method were used for the prediction of the behaviour and performance of a SMBR. A new SMBR configuration for glucose isomerization is proposed and the effect of process parameters on its performance is addressed.