Abstract
We developed an effective process for separating the positional isomers α- and β-naphthyl sulfates, in which a separator carries out the selective hydrolysis of β-naphthyl sulfate into β-naphthol, catalyzed by sulfatase from Helix pomatia, and extraction of the resulting product by an organic solvent.
Separator performance was analyzed theoretically on the basis of the purity and the recovery of each isomer. The analysis elucidated the best separator type, the activity of the membrane-bound sulfatase and the operational conditions for efficient separation of the isomers. Mixtures of various feed compositions were separated by use of a model separator with a porous cellulose membrane of 102 cm2 area in which sulfatase was immobilized by albumin and glutaraldehyde, and decanol was used as a sweep liquid. The experimental results of the purity and the recovery of each set of isomers agreed well with the theoretical predictions.
