Characterization of superporous cellulose matrix for high‐throughput adsorptive purification of lysozyme

Protein purification essentially requires macroporous adsorbents matrices, which can provide high efficiency in packed bed and expanded bed (EB) even at high flow rates on account of reduced pore diffusion resistance resulting from finite intraparticle flow in the superpores. Rigid spherical superporous adsorbent beads with high carboxyl group density were prepared by crosslinking of cellulose. The matrix (diameter: 100–300 μm, mean pore size: 1–3 μm, pore volume: 57–59%, and bulk density: ～1,438 kg/m³) could be used in packed bed as well as EB for purification of various biomolecules. Attempts were made to use indigenously developed rigid, superporous crosslinked cellulose adsorbent for high‐throughput purification of lysozyme from chicken egg white's extract. A typical adsorption isotherm for lysozyme in crude was well correlated with the Langmuir isotherm model. Two maxima of binding capacity on celbeads bearing carboxymethyl (celbeads‐CM) group for lysozyme were observed at pH 4.5 and 7.5. Uptake kinetics showed that the diffusivity of lysozyme was 100 times higher than conventional matrices. Such superporous matrix can be used for high‐throughput purification of proteins from crude feedstocks and is reflected in leveling off of height equivalent to theoretical plate vs. flow curve after threshold velocity. Optimization of binding and elution conditions resulted in overall purification of lysozyme in a high yield and purity of 98.22 and 98.8%, respectively, with purification factor of 51.54 in a single step. The overall productivity (14.21 kg/m³ h) and specific activity (2.2 × 10⁵ U/mg) were higher than that obtained with traditional particulate resins. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011     

Expanded bed adsorption on supermacroporous cross-linked cellulose matrix

Rigid spherical macroporous adsorbent beads (CELBEADS) prepared by cross-linking of cellulose were characterised and found eminently suitable for use as expanded bed affinity chromatography matrix. Chromatographic runs were performed on a 10 mm diameter column with three solutes tyrosine, papain and bovine serum albumin under non-retaining conditions on CELBEADS and Streamline^TM DEAE, a commercial agarose based expanded bed matrix. Performance of the runs was measured in terms of height equivalent to theoretical plate, HETP. Variation in HETP with velocity on Streamline^TM DEAE gave flat profiles in packed bed and increasing trend in expanded bed. On CELBEADS, the HETP curves in both packed and expanded bed modes followed profiles typical of macroporous adsorbents i.e. increasing and levelling with velocity. HETP values obtained for papain and bovine serum albumin on CELBEADS were lower than those obtained on Streamline^TM DEAE at all velocities. Lactate dehydrogenase was purified from porcine muscle homogenate using Cibacron blue conjugated to CELBEADS using a protocol reported for supports with surface hydroxyl groups. Elution of the enzyme was investigated both in packed mode as well as in expanded mode at a flow rate of 1 ml min^-1. The purification procedure took about 60 minutes and a purification fold of about 14 was achieved in both cases. The adsorbent could be cleaned in place with 5 M urea and used repeatedly without loss of performance.     

Comparison of batch, packed bed and expanded bed purification of A. niger cellulase using cellulose beads

Rigid macroporous cross-linked cellulose beads were prepared and used as a useful affinity medium for purification of A. niger cellulase from commercial preparation, in batch; packed bed and expanded bed modes. The beads bound 99% activity in both packed bed and expanded bed modes and upto 91% activity could be recovered by washing the adsorbent with 1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. While batch adsorption and elution gave only 4-fold purification, packed bed operation gave 14-fold purification and expanded bed, the highest, 36-fold purification.     

Isolation of a recombinant formate dehydrogenase by pseudo-affinity expanded bed adsorption.

Formate dehydrogenase (FDH) is an enzyme of industrial interest, which is recombinantly expressed as an intracellular protein in Escherichia coli. In order to establish an efficient and reliable purification protocol, an expanded bed adsorption (EBA) process was developed, starting from the crude bacterial homogenate. EBA process design was performed with the goal of finding operating conditions which, on one hand, allow efficient adsorption of the target protein and which, on the other hand, support the formation of a perfectly classified fluidised bed (expanded bed) in the crude feed solution. A pseudo-affinity ligand (Procion Red HE3B) was used to bind the FDH with high selectivity and reasonable capacity (maximum equilibrium capacity of 30 U/ml). Additionally, a simplified modelling approach, involving small packed beds for generation of process parameters, was employed for defining the operating conditions during sample application. In combination with extended elution studies, a process was set up, which could be scaled up to 7.5 l of adsorbent volume yielding a total amount of 100,000 U of 94% pure FDH per run. On this scale, 19 l of a benzonase-treated E. coli homogenate of 15% wet-weight (pH 7.5, 9 mS/cm conductivity) were loaded to the pseudo-affinity adsorbent (0.25 m sed. bed height, 5 x 10(-4) m/s fluid velocity). After a series of two wash steps, a particle-free eluate pool was obtained with 85% yield of FDH. This excellently demonstrates the suitability of expanded bed adsorption for efficient isolation of proteins by combining solid-liquid separation with adsorptive purification in a single unit operation.     

Development of an expanded bed technique for an affinity purification of G6PDH from unclarified yeast cell homogenates

The use of an expanded bed of STREAMLINE Red H-7B for the purification of the intracellular glycolytic enzyme glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) directly from untreated preparations of disrupted yeast cells has been investigated. Small-scale experiments, carried out in packed beds, have shown that the optimal pH for adsorption is 6.0 and have enabled optimization of elution conditions using a series of eluents. The dynamic capacity of the adsorbent for G6PDH was determined in a small expanded bed to be 28 units/mL. These results were used to develop a preparative scale separation of G6PDH in a STREAMLINE 50 expanded bed column. G6PDH was purified directly from an unclarified yeast homogenate in 99% yield with an average purification factor in the eluted fraction of 103. Cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedures using 0.5 M NaOH and 4M urea in 60% (v/v) ethanol have demonstrated that the adsorbent can be regenerated with no loss of adsorption capacity of alteration of bed expansion characteristics after many cycles of operation. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Purification of a periplasmic enzyme by a stirred adsorbent, and by expanded and packed beds

The recovery of a recombinant !-amylase expressed in the periplasm of E. coli using packed bed, expanded bed and batch adsorption is compared. Recovery of recombinant protein using a packed bed requires complete clarification using microfiltration, resulting in loss of yield, or high speed centrifugation which reduces efficiency for viscous periplasmic feedstreams at large scale. Expanded beds ease these problems, however, low levels of cell debris and dilution of the feedstream to 5% sucrose are required to prevent particle aggregation and blockage of adaptors. Batch adsorption provides an alternative option by allowing a rapid capture step (~20 min) which removes the target protein from the feedstream thereby allowing it to be purified by further purification stages, however, the mixing of adsorbent during batch adsorption poses problems.     

Ion exchange purification of G6PDH from unclarified yeast cell homogenates using expanded bed adsorption

The use of expanded beds of STREAMLINE ion exchange adsorbents for the direct extraction of an intracellular enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) from unclarified yeast cell homogenates has been investigated. It has been demonstrated that such crude feedstocks can be applied to the bed without prior clarification steps. The purification of G6PDH from an unclarified yeast homogenate was chosen as a model system containing the typical features of a direct extraction technique. Optimal conditions for the purification were determined in small scale, packed bed experiments conducted with clarified homogenates. Results from these experiments were used to develop a preparative scale separation of G6PDH in a STREAMLINE 50 EBA apparatus. The use of an on-line rotameter for measuring and controlling the height of the expanded bed when operated in highly turbid feedstocks was demonstrated. STREAMLINE DEAE has been shown to be successful in achieving isolation of G6PDH from an unclarified homogenate with a purification factor of 12 and yield of 98% in a single step process. This ion exchange adsorbent is readily cleaned using simple cleaning-in-place procedures without affecting either adsorption or the bed expansion properties of the adsorbent after many cycles of operation. The ability of combining clarification, capture, and purification in a single step will greatly simplify downstream processing flowsheets and reduce the costs of protein purification. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Separation of nattokinase fromBacillus subtilis fermentation broth by expanded bed adsorption with mixed-mode adsorbent

Mixed-mode hydrophobic/ionic matrices exhibit a salt-tolerant property for adsorbing target protein from high-ionic strength feedstock, which allows the application of undiluted feedstockvia an expanded bed process. In the present work, a new type of mixed-mode adsorbent designed for expanded bed adsorption, Fastline PRO^®, was challenged for the capture of nattokinase from the high ionic fermentation broth ofBacillus subtilis. Two important factors, pH and ion concentration, were investigated with regard to the performance of nattokinase adsorption. Under initial fermentation broth conditions (pH 6.6 and conductivity of 10 mS/cm) the adsorption capacity of nattokinase with Fastline PRO was high, with a maximum capacity of 5,350 U/mL adsorbent. The elution behaviors were investigated using packed bed adsorption experiments, which demonstrated that the effective desorption of nattokinase could be achieved by effecting a pH of 9.5. The biomass pulse response experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the biomass/adsorbent interactions betweenBacillus subtilis cells and Fastline PRO, and to demonstrate a stable expanded bed in the feedstock containingBacillus subtilis cells. Finally, an EBA process, utilizing mixed-mode Fastline PRO adsorbent, was optimized to capture nattokinase directly from the fermentation broth. The purification factor reached 12.3, thereby demonstrating the advantages of the mixed-mode EBA in enzyme separation.     

A study of the influence of yeast cell debris on protein and alpha-glucosidase adsorption at various zones within the expanded bed using in-bed sampling

Expanded bed adsorption chromatography is used to capture products directly from unclarified feedstocks, thus combining solid-liquid separation, product concentration and preliminary purification into a single step. However, when non-specific ion-exchangers are used as the adsorbent in the expanded bed, there is the possibility that electrostatic interactions of cells or cell debris with the adsorbent may interfere with the adsorption of soluble products. These interactions depend on the particle size of the cell debris and its surface charge, which in turn depend on the extent of disruption used to release the intracellular products. The interactions occurring during expanded bed adsorption between the anionic ion-exchanger STREAMLINE DEAE and particulate yeast homogenates obtained by high pressure homogenisation at different intensities of disruption achieved by operating at different pressures were studied, while maintaining all other parameters constant. In-bed sampling from the expanded bed using ports fitted up the height of expanded bed was used to study the retention of yeast cells and cell debris within the bed and its influence on the adsorption of total soluble protein and alpha-glucosidase within various zones of the expanded bed. The retention of the biomass present in the homogenate obtained at a lower intensity of disruption was found to be high at the lower end of the column (17% from 13.8 MPa sample compared to 1% from 41.4 MPa sample). This interaction of the particulate material with the adsorbent was found to reduce the dynamic binding capacity of the adsorbent for total soluble protein from 3.6 mg/mL adsorbent for 41.4 MPa sample to 3.0 mg/mL adsorbent for 13.8 MPa sample. The adsorption of alpha-glucosidase was found to increase with an increase in the concentration of the enzyme in the feed, which increased with the intensity of disruption. Selective adsorption of 6,732 U alpha-glucosidase per mg of total protein bound, was noticed for the feedstock prepared at a higher disruption intensity at 41.4 MPa compared to adsorption of 1,262 U/mg of total protein bound for that prepared at 13.8 MPa. The selective adsorption of alpha-glucosidase due to its high concentration together with simultaneous high specific activity of the enzyme in the feed indicated the significance of selective release of enzymes during microbial cell disruption for efficient expanded bed adsorption processes.     

The influence of biomass on the hydrodynamic behavior and stability of expanded beds

Expanded bed adsorption is an innovative chromatographic technology that allows the introduction of particle-containing feedstock without the risk of blocking the bed. Provided a perfectly classified fluidized bed (termed expanded bed) is formed in the crude feedstock and the biomass is not influencing protein transport towards the adsorbent surface, a sorption performance comparable to packed beds is found. The influence of biomass on the hydrodynamic stability of expanded beds is essential and was investigated systematically in this article. Residence-time distribution analyses were performed using model systems and a yeast suspension under various fluid-phase conditions. It is demonstrated that three factors (biomass/adsorbent interactions, biomass concentration, and flow rate) play an interdependent role disturbing the classified fluidization of an expanded bed. A clear correlation between the degree of aggregative fluidization--obtained by PDE modeling of RTD data--and the expansion behavior of the fluidized bed has been found. Thus, combining three analytical methods, namely cell transmission index analysis, expansion analysis, and RTD analysis provides a solid base for understanding and control of the fluidization behavior and thus further process design during the initial phase of process development.     

Expanded bed affinity chromatography of dehydrogenases from bakers' yeast using dye-ligand perfluoropolymer supports

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) have been partially purified from preparations of homogenized yeast cells using Procion Yellow H-E3G and Procion Red H-E7B, respectively, immobilized on solid perfluoropolymer supports in an expanded bed. A series of pilot experiments were carried out in small packed beds using clarified homogenate to determine the optimal elution conditions for both MDH and G6PDH. Selective elution of MDH using NADH was effective but the yields obtained were dependent on the concentration of NADH used. Selective elution was found to be most effective when a low concentration of NaCl (0.1 M) was present. MDH could be recovered in 84% yield with a purification factor of 94 when this strategy was adopted. In the case of G6PDH, specific elution using NADP(+) was successful in purifying G6PDH 178-fold in 96% yield. The dynamic capacity of both affinity supports was estimated by frontal analysis, in an expanded bed with unclarified homogenate, and corresponded to 17 U MDH/mL of settled Procion Yellow H-E3G perfluoropolymer support and 7.7 U H6PDH/mL of settled Procion Red H-E7B perfluoropolymer support. Expanded bed affinity chromatography of MDH resulted in an eluted fraction containing 89% of the applied activity with a purification factor of 113. Expanded bed affinity chromatography of G6PDH resulted in an eluted fraction containing 84% of the applied activity with a purification factor of 172. With both enzymes, the overall recovery of enzyme activity was greater than 94%, showing that the expanded bed approach to purification was nondenaturing. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An improved method for purification of recombinant truncated heme oxygenase-1 by expanded bed adsorption and gel filtration

Recombinant truncated human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1) expressed in Escherichia coli was efficiently separated and purified from feedstock by DEAE-ion exchange expanded bed adsorption. Protocol optimization of hHO-1 on DEAE adsorbent resulted in adsorption in 0 M NaCl and elution in 150 mM NaCl at a pH of 8.5. The active enzyme fractions separated from the expanded bed column were further purified by a Superdex 75 gel filtration step. The specific hHO-1 activity increased from 0.82 ± 0.05 to 24.8 ± 1.8 U/mg during the whole purification steps. The recovery and purification factor of truncated hHO-1 of the whole purification were 72.7 ± 4.7 and 30.2 ± 2.3%, respectively. This purification process can decrease the demand on the preparation of feedstock and simplify the purification process.     

Antibody capture from corn endosperm extracts by packed bed and expanded bed adsorption

Topical treatments of chronic infections with monoclonal antibodies will require large quantities of antibodies. Because plants have been proven capable of producing multisubunit antibodies and provide for large-scale production, they are likely hosts to enable such applications. Recovery costs must also be low because of the relatively high dosages required. Hence, we have examined the purification of a human secretory antibody from corn endosperm extracts by processing alternatives of packed bed and expanded bed adsorption (EBA). Because of the limited availability of the transgenic corn host, the system was modeled by adding the antibody to extracts of nontransgenic corn endosperm. Complete clarification of a crude extract followed by packed bed adsorption provided antibody product in 75% yield with 2.3-fold purification (with antibody accounting for 24% of total protein). The small size of the packed bed, cation-exchange resin SP-Sepharose FF and the absence of a dense core (present in EBA resins) allowed for more favorable breakthrough performance compared to EBA resins evaluated. Four adsorbents specifically designed for EBA operation, with different physical properties (size and density), chemical properties (ligand), and base matrices were tested: SP-steel core resin (UpFront Chromatography), Streamline SP and Streamline DEAE (Amersham Biosciences), and CM Hyper-Z (BioSepra/Ciphergen Biosystems). Of these, the small hyperdiffuse-style resin from BioSepra had the most favorable adsorption characteristics. However, it could not be utilized with crude feeds due to severe interactions with corn endosperm solids that led to bed collapse. UpFront SP-steel core resin, because of its relatively smaller size and hence lower internal mass transfer resistance, was superior to the Streamline resins and operated successfully with application of a crude corn extract filtered to remove all solids of >44 microm. However, the EBA performance with this adsorbent provided a yield of only 61% and purification factor of 2.1 (with antibody being 22% of total protein). Process simulation showed that capital costs were roughly equal between packed and expanded bed processes, but the EBA design required four times greater operating expenditures. The use of corn endosperm as the starting tissue proved advantageous as the amount of contaminating protein was reduced approximately 80 times compared to corn germ and approximately 600 times compared to canola. Finally, three different inlet designs (mesh, glass beads, and mechanical mixing) were evaluated on the basis of their ability to produce efficient flow distribution as measured by residence time distribution analysis. All three provided adequate distribution (axial mixing was not as limiting as mass transfer to the adsorption process), while resins with different physical properties did not influence flow distribution efficiency values (i.e., Peclet number and HETP) when operated with the same inlet design.     

Evaluation of three expanded bed adsorption anion exchange matrices with the aid of recombinant enhanced green fluorescent protein overexpressed in Escherichia coli

Three anion exchanger expanded bed adsorption (EBA) matrices: Streamline DEAE, Streamline Q XL and Q Hyper Z were evaluated with the aid of EFGP from an ultrasonic homogenate of Escherichia coli. Two pH of buffer were tested. Capture was done in an expanded mode whereas elution was done in a packed mode. The same conditions were chosen for evaluation of the three matrices. We observed a loss of EGFP (8-15%) in the through flow fraction especially with the Streamline Q XL matrix, probably due to an aggregation of beads during sample application. The beads of this matrix possess tentacles which probably retain a lot of cellular and molecular debris. The two other matrices gave a good purification of the EGFP (7-15-fold) but the Q Hyper Z matrix appeared to give the best results. It is composed of little size and density beads which lead to a higher exchange surface and then a better mass transfer.     

Expanded bed affinity purification of bacterial α-amylase and cellulase on composite substrate analogue–cellulose matrices

Expanded bed purification of α-amylase and cellulase directly from unclarified fermentation broth was carried out on specially prepared composite affinity matrices. The concept used was incorporation of polymeric substrates/substrate analogue during cross-linking of cellulose to prepare rigid, porous, cross-linked composite affinity matrices for target enzymes. Of the several polymeric substrates/substrate-analogue used, alginic acid (AA) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) when used to prepare cross-linked composite matrices with cellulose, resulted in best affinity purification matrices for α-amylase and cellulase, respectively. These matrices were suitable for purification of the enzymes by batch, packed bed as well as expanded bed purification protocols. The optimized expanded bed protocol for α-amylase from Bacillus spp. B3 gave 51-fold purification on AA-CELBEADS with 69% recovery, whereas, cellulase from Bacillus spp. B21 was purified on MCC-CELBEADS to 18-fold purification with 97% recovery. The SDS-PAGE of both purified preparations showed single bands indicating significant purification on composite affinity adsorbents in a single step strategy.     

Compatibility of column inlet and adsorbent designs for processing of corn endosperm extract by expanded bed adsorption

Corn has emerged as a viable host for expression of recombinant proteins; targeted expression to the endosperm has received particular attention. The protein extracts from corn endosperm differ from those of traditional hosts in regard to the nature of residual solids and extracted matrix contaminants. Each of these differences presents reasons for considering expanded bed adsorption for product capture and new considerations for limitations of the method. In this work three inlet-flow distribution devices (mesh, glass ballotini, and localized mixing) and six adsorbents with different physical (size and density), chemical (ligand), and base matrix properties were evaluated to determine conditions compatible with processing of crude corn endosperm extract by expanded bed adsorption. Of the inlet devices evaluated, the design with localized mixing at the inlet (as produced commercially by UpFront Chromatography A/S, Copenhagen, DK) allowed solids up to 550 microm into the column without clogging for all flow rates evaluated. A mesh at the inlet with size restriction of either 50 microm or 80 microm became clogged with very small corn particles (< 44 microm). When glass ballotini was used, large particles (550 microm) passed through for high flow rates (570 cm/h), but even small (< 44 microm) particles became trapped at a lower flow rate (180 cm/h). The physical and chemical properties of the resin determined whether solids could be eluted. The denser UpFront adsorbents allowed for complete elution of larger and more concentrated corn solids than the currently available Amersham Streamline adsorbents (Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ) as a result of the former's higher flow rate for the desired 2x expansion (570 cm/h for UpFront vs. 180 cm/h for Streamline). All corn solids < 162 microm eluted through nonderivatized UpFront resin. Larger corn solids began to accumulate due to their elevated sedimentation velocities. Feeds of < 44 microm solids at 0.45% and 2.0% dry weight successfully eluted through ion exchange adsorbents (DEAE and SP) from UpFront. However, significant accumulation occurred when the solids size increased to a feed of < 96 microm solids, thus indicating a weak interaction between corn solids and both forms of ion exchange ligands. Expanded beds operated with Streamline ion exchange adsorbents (DEAE and SP) did not allow full elution of corn solids of < 44 microm. A hyperdiffuse style EBA resin produced by Biosepra (Ciphergen Biosystems, Fremont, CA) with CM functionality showed a severe interaction with corn solids that collapsed the expanded bed and could not be eliminated with elevated flow rates or higher salt concentration.     

Examination of protein adsorption in fluidized bed and packed bed columns at different temperatures using frontal chromatographic methods

The influences of various experimental parameters on the dynamic adsorption capacity (DAC) and the dynamic adsorption rate (DAR) of a biomimetic affinity silica-based adsorbent in fluidized and packed bed columns operated under plug flow conditions and at different temperatures have been investigated with different inlet concentrations of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and human serum albumin (HSA). The DACs as well as the DARs of both the fluidized and packed beds were examined at 10% saturation (i.e., at the QB value) and the experimental data compared with the corresponding data obtained from batch equilibrium adsorption procedures. Parameters examined included the fluid superficial velocity and protein concentration and their effect on the binding capacity and column efficiency. Consistent with various results reported from this and other laboratories on the behavior of biospecific affinity adsorbents derived from porous silica and zirconia particles, adsorbents prepared from Fractosil 1000 were found to exhibit appropriate rheological characteristics in fluidized bed systems under the experimental conditions. Moreover, changes in temperature resulted in a more significant effect on the breakthrough profiles of HSA compared to HEWL with the immobilized Cibacron Blue F3G-A with Fractosil 1000 adsorbent. This result suggests that temperature effects can possibly be employed profitably in some processes as part of a strategy to enhance column performance with fluidized bed systems for selective recovery of target proteins. At relatively low superficial velocities of the feed, the DARs with HEWL and HSA were similar for both the fluidized and packed bed column systems, whereas, at high superficial velocities, the DARs for these proteins were larger with the packed bed columns.     

Expanded bed adsorption: elution in expanded bed mode

Elution in expanded bed mode has been investigated in the expanded bed adsorption process. Elution was performed at different sample loads and at different liquid velocities using bovine serum albumin as a model. The effect on mixing in the liquid phase and on the volume of the eluted peak were determined. Mixing in the liquid phase was almost unaffected when elution was performed at 100 cm/h, regardless of sample load. However, mixing increased significantly when elution was carried out at high liquid velocities (300 cm/h) at high sample loads. The eluted peak volume increased with liquid velocity and increased sample load. It was approx. 80% higher in expanded bed mode than in packed bed from an adsorbent completely saturated with protein eluted at 300 cm/h.     

A Study of the interaction of HEK-293 cells with streamline chelating adsorbent in expanded bed operation

Expanded bed adsorption (EBA) is an efficient protein purification process reducing time and steps of downstream processing (DSP) since nonclarified culture media can be processed directly without prior treatments such as filtration or centrifugation. However, cells and debris can interact with the adsorbent and affect bed stability as well as purification performance. To optimize EBA operating conditions these biomass/adsorbent interactions have to be understood and characterized. The adsorption of Human Embryonic Kidney cells (HEK 293) on unprimed and nickel-primed metal affinity adsorbent was studied in a closed loop EBA setup. With the unprimed adsorbent, the overall level of interaction observed was nonsignificant. With the nickel-primed adsorbent and an initial cell concentration ranging from 0.08 x 10(6) to 0.2 x 10(6) cells/mL, biomass/adsorbent interaction was found to be moderate and the adsorption apparent first-order kinetic rate constant was determined to be k = 0.009 to 0.011 min(-1).