Separation of 1,3-Propanediol from Aqueous Solutions by Ion Exchange Chromatography

1,3-propanediol is a promising monomer with many applications and can be produced by bioconversion of renewable resources. The separation of this product from fermentation broth is a difficult task. In this work, the application of cation exchange resin for the separation of 1,3-propanediol from model aqueous solution was examined. The best effect of separation of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol using sorption method was obtained for H⁺ resin form, although the observed partition coefficient of 1,3-propanediol was low. On the basis of the results of the sorption of 1,3-propanediol, the ionic forms of the resin were selected and used in the next experiments (H⁺, Ca²⁺, Ag⁺, Na⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺). The best results in ion exchange chromatography were obtained for cation exchange resin in H⁺ and Ca²⁺ form. The use of smaller particle size of resin and a longer length of the column allows to obtain better separation of mixtures.