There are several situations in which it is advantageous, or even necessary to discard stationary phase after use. Examples of such situations are:
- b-DNA assay is carried using Streptavidin beads
- in the case of incomplete release of material from a column
- if performance of the column is compromised by matrix components
RENEWABLE COLUMN in LOV PLATFORM
3.4.1.
Since SI-LOV is a low pressure system, and the micro columns within the LOV cannot offer resolution associated with conventional chromatography, the use of renewable columns is limited to separations based on absorption/desorption of such target analytes that can be selectively captured and easily eluted for downstream detection.
Yet, this is an area of analytical chemistry that offers many unexplored opportunities, some of which are in automation of sorbent extraction, as documented by a recent review (3.4.16.). Trace elements, initially carried out by solvent extraction, have been in recent years adapted into sorbent extraction format, with the aim of capturing the target element while matrix components are being washed away. Examples of this methodology abound in oceanographic applications. Also, these assays can be further miniaturized and improved using the LOV renewable column platform, as shown in this section on example of trace nickel assay by atomic absorption.
Affinity chromatography and other biomoleculare separations benefit from renewable column format, when exploiting native ligands for selective capture of target biomolecules.
