With E-PAK technology, sorbents get even more efficient & convenient to use!  

Engineered and produced by SiliCycle — a renowned leader in the field of silica-based technologies — E-PAK is a cutting-edge chromatography product that has gained significant attention in the field of separation science. This innovative technology is designed to meet the diverse needs of researchers, scientists, and professionals across various industries.  
 
At its core, Silicycle E-PAK is a family of radial flow adsorption cartridges which leverages the power of silica-based materials for chromatographic separations. With a commitment to quality, efficiency, and innovation, SiliCycle has crafted a portfolio of E-PAK cartridges that provide exceptional performance. 
 
Created with proprietary technology, E-PAK cartridges provide rapid adsorption kinetics at flow rates and processing capacities suitable for laboratory, pilot and commercial operations. Offered in a wide range of sizes and sorbents (SiliaFlash irregular silica gels, SiliaMetS metal scavengers and activated carbons), these cartridges are designed to remove precious metal catalysts, reaction-by-products or color from synthetic reaction mixtures and natural products. They are designed for use with both organic and aqueous solvents and incorporate design features useful to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).  
 
The SiliCycle E-Pak Cartridges portfolio finds applications in various fields, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food and beverage analysis, environmental monitoring, and more. Whether it's the separation of pharmaceutical intermediates or the analysis of complex natural product mixtures, the E-Pak Cartridges excel in providing high-resolution chromatography. 

Features & Benefits 

  • Easy Scale-Up:   From laboratory to industrial production
  • Proven Technology:  Proven cartridge design ensures rapid, simple and reliable technology
  • Performance:   High adsorption capacity & flow rate  
  • Convenience:   Fixed-bed design ensuring safer handling, clean-up and disposal. No filtration step required. 
  • Optimization:   Large adsorbent capacity in small area footprint increases product recovery and reduces solvent requirements
  • Various Sorbents Offered: SiliaMetS Metal Scavengers, Bare Silica & Activated Carbons

E-PAK cartridges are available in a range of sorbents to accommodate the broad range of processing requirements. Other adsorbents are available on request. 

E-PAK Cartridges Portfolio 

E-PAK Cartridges are offered in 3 formats: Lab Scale, Pilot Scale and Commercial Scale, with the option of 3 types of sorbents: SiliaFlash silica gels, Metal Scavengers, and Activated Carbons. 
 

Lab Scale Cartridges

E-PAK Lab Scale cartridges are designed to facilitate small samples evaluation, and are generally used for processing samples of 50mL or more.  
Testing with loose media can be done with samples as small as a few milliliters, and is normally done before cartridge testing in order to identify the formula with the highest capacity to remove contaminants with the highest recovery. 
Faster flow rates can be used for the lab scale cartridges depending on the application or the scavenging difficulty (1cm up to 100mL/min, 10cm up to 500mL/min and 25cm up to 1L/min). 
 
E-PAK Lab Scale cartridges are available in dimensions: 5 x 1cm, 5 x 10cm, 5 x 25cm. 
 

Pilot Scale Cartridges

E-PAK Pilot Scale cartridges provide rapid processing for volumes from 10 to hundreds of liters, and are a convenient way for confirming scale-up considerations and/or producing kilo quantities of API’s and intermediates. 
 
E-PAK Pilot Scale cartridges are available in dimensions: 16.5 x 12.5cm, 16.5 x 25cm 

Commercial Scale Cartridges

E-PAK Commercial Scale cartridges provide rapid processing for manufacturing operations needing to process batch sizes of > 10,000 liters or can be adapted for continuous operation using a duplex design. 
 
E-PAK Commercial Scale cartridges are available in dimensions: 16.5 x 50cm, 16.5 x 100cm 

Both Pilot and Commercial Scale cartridges are provided with a Code 8 (closed top and open bottom end caps-bottom with double 2-222 Teflon® encapsulated Viton® o-ring) cartridge sealing configuration. To meet commercial processing requirements, E-PAK cartridges can be operated in parallel for increased capacity. 

E-PAK Cartridge Housing 

Silicycle offer a range of housings for each cartridge format. 

Lab Scale Format

Housing are available in the following dimensions: 5 x 1cm, 5 x 10cm, 5 x 25cm. Kits are also available which include bowls of various sizes. The Lab Scale housing is operated with standard pump, low pressure and peristatic, and easy housing conversion for all lengths is achievable by changing the bowl size. 

Pilot & Commercial Scale Format Housing are available in the following dimensions: 16.5 x 12.5cm, 16.5 x 25cm, 16.5 x 50cm, 16.5 x 100cm. 3-Round, 7-Round and 12-Round formats are also available. Various housings are available for simultaneous operation of 1 to 12 cartridges (for 12.5cm, 25cm, 50cm and 100cm). These can be operated in parallel to process batch sizes of ≥ 1,000 L, and are ASME, PED 2014/68/EU and CE compliant.

All Lab Scale, Pilot and Commercial Scale housings are available in stainless steel 316L or Hastelloy C276. The pressure rating for these housings is 150psi (10bar). 

Scale Up 

One of the strongest benefits of SiliCycle E-PAK Cartridges is their linearity upon scale-up. As shown below, in a typical Suzuki-Miyaura coupling for which palladium needed to be removed, each format behaved very similarly in terms of efficiency (scavenging %), kinetics and relative capacity. Once the best purifications sorbents have been identified in bulk, transferring the conditions from bulk to cartridges can be a very robust strategy for rapid and efficient scale-up. 

Various Ways of Using E-PAK 

Depending on the application and how you prefer to work, E-PAK cartridges can be used in different ways as shown below. For a single pass usage, we suggest to run at very low flow rate compared to recirculation process, which can be run at higher flow rate. 

Flow & Hydraulic Pressure Drop 

Cartridges provide rapid kinetics at flow rates and contact times suitable for single pass operation. The chart below shows typical flow rates and pressure drop performance for Lab, Pilot and Commercial Scale Cartridges. 

Chemical Compatibility 

E-PAK cartridges are formed using a proprietary technology and chemically stable materials in common organic solvents. E-PAK cartridges have been tested and found satisfactory for use with the following commonly used solvents: 

  • 2-Butanone 
  • Dichloromethane 
  • Ethanol 
  • Ethyl acetate 
  • Heptane 
  • Methanol 
  • MTBE 
  • N-ethyl-2-pyrolidone 
  • Tetrahydrofuran (at room temperature) 
  • Toluene (at room temperature) 

E-PAK cartridges are suitable for operation at pH of 1 to 13 for activated carbon, and pH 2 to 12 for silica-based products. 


Handling and Safety

Initial solvent wetting of E-PAK cartridges will produce heat; a risk assessment with the use with low vapor pressure solvents is recommended. The adsorbent matrix in E-PAK cartridges is electrically conductive. E-PAK cartridges filter housings and retrofit kits provide a connection between the adsorbent matrix and the filter cartridge housing. A risk assessment of electrical discharge in explosion proof environments is recommended. 

 
Quality and Regulatory

E-PAK cartridges are manufactured under ISO 9001, GMP manufacturing operations in Glasgow, DE (U.S.A.). Drug Master File registrations are in progress. 

 
Conclusion 

In conclusion, SiliCycle's E-Pak Cartridges portfolio represents a significant advancement in chromatography technology. With their exceptional purity, wide range of chemistries, scalability, and user-friendly design, these cartridges are essential tools for researchers seeking reliable and reproducible chromatographic separations. Whether working on routine analytical tasks or complex research projects, scientists can trust the SiliCycle E-Pak Cartridges to deliver exceptional performance and consistent results. As chromatography continues to play a crucial role in various scientific disciplines, SiliCycle's commitment to innovation ensures that the E-Pak Cartridges will remain at the forefront of chromatographic technology, meeting the evolving needs of the scientific community.