Effect of development speed on separative performance of displacement chromatography using porous ion exchange resin for Li isotope separation

A series of displacement chromatography experiments using a porous ion exchange resin for Li isotope separation was performed using several development speeds. Chromatographic development at a high speed is preferable for practical use, but the degree of separation becomes smaller with increasing development speeds. The height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) value, which is an important factor of separative performance, increased exponentially when the development speed was increased. As a new measure to take account of both HETP and development speed, a separation per unit time (SPUT) was defined. A maximum SPUT value was achieved when the development speed was of the order of 300 cm h−1 in the system using the porous ion exchange resin TITEC-H1.