The Process of Adsorption and Cartridge Design.

The mechanism of adsorption is regulated by various factors including the nature of the sorbent and the molecules involved in the adsorption process. The design of a device for adsorption therapies must fulfil specific requirements. The device should allow the use of the minimum amount of sorbent material sufficient to achieve safe and effective blood purification therapy. Each component of the device must respond to criteria of safety and function in order to maximize the efficiency of the cartridge. The design should be optimized to enable utilization of all the sorbent surface available for adsorption. The structure and packing of the sorbent particles should allow the even distribution of flow inside the cartridge and the avoidance of channeling phenomena and excessive resistance to flow. All these factors depend on specific governing laws such as the Kozeny-Carman equation and Darcy's law. The system must also consider blood viscosity and possible turbulent flows (Reynolds number). The final manufacturing process of a sorbent unit must also consider the dimensions and the cost, and the final performance after sterilization and storage.