The influence of particle size distribution and operating conditions on the adsorption performance in fluidized beds

The influence of matrix properties and operating conditions on the performance in fluidized-bed adsorption has been studied using Streamline diethyl-aminoethyl (DEAE), an ion exchange matrix based on quartz-weighted agarose, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. Three different particle size fractions (120-160 mum, 120-300 mum, and 250-300 mum) were investigated. Dispersion in the liquid phase was reduced when particles with a wide size distribution were fluidized compared to narrow particle size distributions. When the mean particle diameter was reduced, the breakthrough capacities during frontal adsorption were enlarged due to a shorter diffusion path length within the matrix. At small particle diameters the effect of film mass transfer became more relevant to the adsorption performance in comparison to larger particles. Therefore matrices designed for fluidized-bed adsorption should have small particle diameter and increased mean particle density to ensure small diffusion path length in the particle and a high interstitial velocity to improve film mass transfer. Studies on the influence of sedimented matrix height on axial mixing showed an increased Bodenstein number with increasing bed length. Higher breakthrough capacities were also found for longer adsorbent beds due to reduced dispersion and improved fluid and particle side mass transfer. With increasing bed height the influence of flow rate on breakthrough capacity was reduced. For a settled bed height of 50 cm breakthrough capacities of 80% of the equilibrium capacity for flow rates varying from 3 to 9 cm/min could be achieved. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 54-64, 1997.     

Mathematical modeling of the integrated process of mercury bioremediation in the industrial bioreactor

The mathematical model of the integrated process of mercury contaminated wastewater bioremediation in a fixed-bed industrial bioreactor is presented. An activated carbon packing in the bioreactor plays the role of an adsorbent for ionic mercury and at the same time of a carrier material for immobilization of mercury-reducing bacteria. The model includes three basic stages of the bioremediation process: mass transfer in the liquid phase, adsorption of mercury onto activated carbon and ionic mercury bioreduction to Hg(0) by immobilized microorganisms. Model calculations were verified using experimental data obtained during the process of industrial wastewater bioremediation in the bioreactor of 1 m³ volume. It was found that the presented model reflects the properties of the real system quite well. Numerical simulation of the bioremediation process confirmed the experimentally observed positive effect of the integration of ionic mercury adsorption and bioreduction in one apparatus.     

Adsorption kinetics and equilibria of bovine serum albumin on rigid ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography matrices in a stirred cell

Rigid adsorbents have advantages over soft gel media for downstream processing of proteins. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated on a rigid adsorbent based on a wide-pore, hydrophilically coated, silica-gel matrix. The effects of surface chemistry (weak anion exchanger and hydrophobic interaction chromatography) and particle size have been studied on the physical properties of the adsorbent and on the adsorption equilibria and adsorption kinetics. The rates of adsorption of BSA have been measured in a stirred cell and are found to be satisfactorily described by a two-step theoretical model, in which the mass transfer involves a pore diffusion resistance and an extra-particle film resistance. On the anion exchanger, the effective pore diffusivity decreases substantially with increasing protein concentration, approximately halving as the initial concentration rises from 0.7 to 2g/l. In the hydrophobic interaction chromatography medium, the pore diffusivity is less sensitive to protein concentration and is also reduced by a factor of about 4 by aggregation of the protein. Effective pore diffusivities with the "wide-pore" silica adsorbents in anion-exchange form are 36-94 times lower than the diffusivity in free solution and are comparable with the lower of the wide range of values published for soft gels.     

Rate-limiting mass transfer in immunosorbents: characterisation of the adsorption of paraquat-protein conjugates to anti-paraquat Sepharose 4B

A series of paraquat-protein conjugates of different molecular size has been prepared by the coupling of paraquat hexanoate to the proteins lysozyme, ovalbumin, bovine serum albumin. The characteristics of the adsorption of these conjugates to an immunosorbent consisting of monoclonal anti-paraquat antibodies covalently immobilised to Sepharose 4B have been determined. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms were found to obey the Langmuir equation and indicated that 80% or more of the antibody binding sites were accessible to the conjugates. The rates of mass transfer of the conjugates to their adsorption sites on the immobilised antibodies was well described by a model in which mass transfer is controlled by transfer across the external film and diffusion within the porous adsorbent bead. The effective diffusivities of the conjugates within the immunosorbent were measured and has allowed the effect of the size of the adsorbing molecule on the rate of adsorption to be considered. The amount of paraquat that could be adsorbed and the rates of adsorption decreased as the size of the protein to which it is conjugated increased. The diffusivity of the conjugates within the pores of the adsorbent is reduced between two and five times compared to their diffusivities in free solution. The reduction is greater for the larger proteins and the variations of the effective diffusivities and the pore diffusivities with the molecular weight of the conjugate can be well described with simple correlations.     

Evaluation of kinetic and mass transfer parameters for adsorption of clavulanic acid into natural and synthetic zeolites

This work investigates the adsorption of clavulanic acid using natural six cationic forms (Na⁺, Ca⁺², Ba⁺², Sr²⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺) of the X and NZ zeolites in a stirred tank reactor since the separation is an important step of the biomolecule production. A mathematical model was proposed taking into account the transport of CA molecules from the liquid phase to the surface of the adsorbent and after diffusion into the particles. The estimated kinetic and mass transfer parameters were used to evaluate adsorption rates and mass transfer resistances involved in the separation of clavulanic acid from the broth. It has been shown that mass-transfer phenomena were a limiting step in the clavulanic acid adsorption process and that the adsorption rate should be considered to evaluate the system. Amongst the materials, the synthetic zeolite NaX was selected as the most appropriate material to separate clavulanic acid because this material presented the highest values for the observed reaction rate, compensating for the external mass transfer resistance. Modeling and simulation of clavulanic acid purification using the zeolite NaX showed a satisfactory fitting of experimental data. The model was used to simulate the process and it was evaluated for its technical and economical viability by comparisons considering the influence of the solid:liquid ratio on the adsorption equilibrium time and on the hydrolysed mass of biomolecule.     

Theoretical investigation of axial and local particle size distribution on expanded bed adsorption process

The general rate model was developed and solved to describe protein adsorption in an expanded bed. The model takes into account axial variation of bed porosity, particle size distribution (PSD), external and intraparticle mass transfer, and dispersion in liquid and solid phase. The analysis of the influence of the model parameters on dynamic capacity (DC) was investigated. The simulation results showed that major impact on dynamic capacity is exerted by intraparticle mass transfer (particle diameter and pore diffusivity). The external mass transfer resistance and dispersion parameters have secondary effect on DC. The replacement of axial PSD by the mean particle diameter results in error in calculation of DC, which increases remarkably with the increase of mean particle diameter. The PSD can promote a very slow approaching of plateau concentration by breakthrough curves. It was shown also that axial bed porosity variation could be replaced by average porosity with negligible error for DC calculations.     

Chiral separation performance of micrometer‐sized monodispersed silica spheres with high protein loading

Micrometer‐sized monodispersed silica spheres (～360 μm) with high loading of bovine serum albumin (BSA) (～450 mg/g) were prepared as an adsorbent for large‐scale chiral separation. The new adsorbent was characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption‐desorption isotherms, the mercury intrusion method, infrared spectroscopic analysis, and elementary analysis. The extent of chiral separation was tested with rac‐tryptophan (rac‐Trp) and rac‐phenylalanine (rac‐Phe) as solutes. The results showed that the absorbent exhibited a high surface area, large pore volume, and bimodal macromesoporous structures, enabling fast mass transfer and high separation efficiency. A fast adsorption rate, reaching equilibrium in less than 6 min, and a high degree of chiral separation, with the enantiomer excess (e.e.) value reaching as high as 100% in the first 10 min, was observed in a small (5 cm in height, 0.46 cm in internal diameter) packed column that could be regenerated with a pH 5.0 HAc‐NaAc buffer. The results show that monodispersed silica spheres with a high BSA loading have great potential for applications in large‐scale chiral separation processes. Chirality, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Modeling of protein monomer/aggregate purification and separation using hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is commonly used to separate protein monomer and aggregate species in the purification of protein therapeutics. Despite being used frequently, the HIC separation mechanism is quite complex and not well understood. In this paper, we examined the separation of a monomer and aggregate protein mixture using Phenyl Sepharose FF. The mechanisms of protein adsorption, desorption, and diffusion of the two species were evaluated using several experimental approaches to determine which processes controlled the separation. A chromatography model, which used homogeneous diffusion (to describe mass transfer) and a competitive Langmuir binary isotherm (to describe protein adsorption and desorption), was formulated and used to predict the separation of the monomer and aggregate species. The experimental studies showed a fraction of the aggregate species bound irreversibly to the adsorbent, which was a major factor governing the separation of the species. The model predictions showed inclusion of irreversible binding in the adsorption mechanism greatly improved the model predictions over a range of operating conditions. The model successfully predicted the separation performance of the adsorbent with the examined feed.     

Dye-ligand poly(GMA–TAIC–DVB) affinity adsorbent for protein adsorption

Macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-triallyl isocyanurate-divinylbenzene) was prepared by a radical suspension copolymerization. Reaction of the copolymer with 2-hydroxyethyl amine was employed to obtain a hydrophilic matrix. An affinity dye, Cibacron blue 3GA, was then coupled covalently to prepare a novel macroporous affinity adsorbent. The surface and pore structure of the affinity adsorbent were examined by scanning electron micrography (SEM). SEM observations showed that the affinity adsorbent abounded in macropores. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (Lys) were used as samples to examine the adsorption properties of the adsorbent. Under appropriate conditions, the affinity adsorbent had a capacity of 15.5 mg BSA/g and 22.3 mg Lys/g (wet adsorbent weight). The adsorbed proteins could be desorbed by increasing liquid phase ionic strength or by using a NaOH solution, and the adsorbent could be recycled for protein adsorption.     

Recovery of Acinetobacter radioresistens lipase by hydrophobic adsorption to n-hexadecane coated on nonwoven fabric

A simple and clean adsorption/desorption process was proposed for recovering Acinetobacter radioresistens lipase from fermentation broth. The adsorbent used was n-hexadecane coated on a hydrophobic nonwoven fabric (NWF). n-Hexadecane has a melting point of 16-18 degrees C, and its affinity for lipase decreases markedly from liquid to solid state. Accordingly, performing the adsorption and desorption above and below, respectively, the melting point would need no extraneous materials for separation. The adsorption isotherms at various temperatures were found to follow the Langmuir model. Simulation of the batch adsorption/desorption process showed that there exists an optimal amount of adsorbent for both concentration factor and enzyme recovery; the process is restrained by equilibrium. The performance of column adsorption/desorption could also be simulated using the adsorption isotherm, and it was shown that the concentration factor was proportional to the amount of adsorbent used. The benefits of this process include easy preparation of adsorbent, low operational cost, no extraneous materials needed, negligible enzyme denaturation, high efficiency, and simple process simulation.     

The effect of column verticality on separation efficiency in expanded bed adsorption

The effect of column verticality on liquid dispersion and separation efficiency in expanded bed adsorption columns was investigated using 1 and 5 cm diameter columns. Column misalignment of only 0.15° resulted in the reduction of the Bodenstein number from 140 to 50 for the 1 cm dia. column and from 75 to 45 for the 5 cm dia. column. This degree of misalignment was not detectable by visual assessment of adsorbent particle movement within the column. Depending on the relative importance of transport limitations, kinetic limitations and dispersion to any specific separation, this increase in dispersion with column alignment can significantly affect separation efficiency. Pure protein breakthrough profiles resulting from the application of bovine serum albumin onto STREAMLINE Q XL demonstrated that, at 10% breakthrough, 7.8% more protein could be applied to a vertical 1 cm dia. column compared to the same column misaligned by 0.15°. When an unclarified yeast homogenate was applied to a 1 cm dia. vertical column packed with STREAMLINE DEAE, 10% breakthrough of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) corresponded to a load 55% greater compared to the same column aligned 0.185° off-vertical. The G6PDH breakthrough curves for vertical and 0.15° off-vertical runs performed using a 5 cm column were essentially indistinguishable.     

Adsorption and desorption kinetics of bovine serum albumin in ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography on silica matrices

Large scale chromatographic separation of proteins can be carried out more rapidly on rigid adsorbents than on soft gel media. The kinetics of adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been studied on rigid adsorbents based on a wide-pore, hydrophilically-coated silica gel matrix in a packed bed (chromatographic column). Process parameters have been varied comprehensively. The effects of surface chemistry (weak anion exchanger and hydrophobic interaction), particle size and liquid flow velocity have been studied on both the adsorption and desorption processes. The relative influences of the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherm on the shape of the breakthrough curve are found to vary with the process parameters in an interpretable and therefore, predictable manner. Pore diffusion resistance is dominant over the external liquid film resistance in controlling the adsorption kinetics, with Biot numbers in the range 170-2600. A two-step model based on these two resistances simulates the breakthrough curves with only limited quantitative accuracy, but gives good predictions of the effect of changes in process parameters.     

Hydrophobic interaction adsorption of hen egg white proteins albumin, conalbumin, and lysozyme

Hydrophobic adsorption equilibrium data of the hen egg white proteins albumin, conalbumin, and lysozyme were obtained in batch systems, at 25 degrees C, using the Streamline Phenyl resin as adsorbent. The influence of three types of salt, NaCl, Na(2)SO(4), or (NH(4))(2)SO(4), and their concentration on the equilibrium data were evaluated. The salt Na(2)SO(4) showed the higher interaction with the studied proteins, thus favoring the adsorption of proteins by the adsorbent, even though each type of salt interacted in a distinct manner with each protein. The isotherm models of Langmuir, Langmuir exponential, and Chen and Sun were well fitted to the equilibrium data, with no significant difference being observed at the 5% level of significance. The mass transfer model applied simulated correctly adsorption kinetics of the proteins under the studied conditions.     

Visualizing two-component protein diffusion in porous adsorbents by confocal scanning laser microscopy.

The use of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) has recently been described for the visualization of intraparticle protein profiles during single-protein finite bath uptake experiments. By coupling of fluorescent molecules to proteins the penetration of porous media by labeled macromolecules could be detected by scanning single adsorbent particles for fluorescence emission after laser excitation. Thus the internal protein distribution profile, which is a central element in modeling of protein transport in porous adsorbents, became experimentally accessible. Results from the simultaneous visualization of two proteins by this technology are shown here. The use of two different fluorescent dyes for protein labeling and two independent detectors in the CSLM allowed for the first time ever the direct observation of a two-component diffusion process within a porous stationary phase. The finite bath uptake of human immunoglobulin G (hIgG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) to two different ion exchange adsorbents (SP Sepharose Fast Flow and Source 30S) and to an affinity adsorbent (Protein A Sepharose) was measured using Cy5 and Oregon Green as labels. Single adsorbent particles were scanned for intensity distribution of fluorescence emission from the two fluorophors. The intraparticle profiles obtained from the confocal images were translated into a relative protein concentration thus allowing the calculation of protein uptake kinetics from direct measurement in the stationary phase. The confocal technique may prove to be a very powerful means of data generation for modeling of multi-component mass transfer phenomena in protein adsorption.     

Studies on the batch adsorption of plasmid DNA onto anion-exchange chromatographic supports

The adsorption of a supercoiled 4.8 kbp plasmid onto quaternary ammonium anion-exchangers was studied in a finite bath. Equilibrium experiments were performed with pure plasmid, at 25 degrees C, using commercial Q-Sepharose matrices differing in particle diameter (High Performance, 34 microm; Fast Flow, 90 microm; and Big Beads, 200 microm) and a recently commercialized ion-exchanger, Streamline QXL (d(p) = 200 microm) at different salt concentrations (0.5, 0.7, and 1 M NaCl). Plasmid adsorption was found to follow second-order kinetics (Langmuir isotherm) with average association constants K(A) = 0.32+/-0.12 mL microg(-)(1) and K(A) = 0.25+/-0.15 mL microg(-1) at 0.5 and 0.7 M Nacl, respectively. The maximum binding capacities were not dependent on the ionic strength in the range 0.5-0.7 M but decreased with increasing particle diameter, suggesting that adsorption mainly occurs at the surface of the particles. No adsorption was found at 1 M NaCl. A nonporous model was applied to describe the uptake rate of plasmid onto Streamline QXL at 0.5 M NaCl. The overall process rate was controlled by mass transfer in the regions of low relative amounts of adsorbent (initial stages) and kinetically controlled in the later stages of the process for high relative amounts of adsorbent. The forward reaction rate constant (k(1) = 0.09+/-0.01 mL mg(-1) s(-1)) and film mass transfer coefficient (K(f) = (6 +/- 2) x 10(-4) cm s(-1)) were calculated. Simulations were performed to study the effect of the relative amount of adsorbent on the overall process rate, yield, and media capacity utilization.     

Adsorption-desorption of BSA to highly substituted dye-ligand adsorbent: quantitative study of the effect of ionic strength

Cibacron Blue 3GA was immobilized on Sepharose CL-6B to obtain a highly substituted dye-ligand adsorbent which dye concentration was 17.4?μmol dye per gram wet gel. This adsorbent had a highly binding capacity for bovine serum albumin (BSA). The effects of ionic strength on the adsorption and desorption of BSA to the adsorbent were studied. Adsorption isotherms were expressed by the Langmuir model. The quantitative relationships between the model parameters and the ionic strength were obtained. The desorptions were performed by adding salt to the BSA solutions in which adsorption equilibria had been reached. Adding salt to the solution resulted in the desorption of the bound protein. It was found that the isotherm obtained from the desorption experiments agreed well to the isotherm obtained from the adsorption experiments at the same ionic strength. The result demonstrated that the adsorption of BSA to the highly substituted adsorbent was reversible.     

A high-capacity hydrophobic adsorbent for human serum albumin

A simple method, based on salting out hydrophobic interaction chromatography, for the efficient removal of trace amounts of serum albumin from partially purified protein preparations is described. The method is also successfully applied for the purification of albumin from Cohn fraction IV, a by-product obtained from the commercial fractionation of human serum proteins by the ethanol precipitation procedure. About 70% of the adsorbed albumin can be eluted by buffer of low ionic strength and can thus be lyophilized directly, if required. The adsorbent can be used for several cycles of adsorption and desorption without affecting its selectivity or capacity. Its adsorption properties and capacity for serum albumin are compared with those of the commercially available adsorbent Blue Sepharose CL-6B.     

Removal of Astrazon Yellow 7GL from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto wheat bran

Adsorption kinetic and equilibrium of a basic dye (Astrazon Yellow 7GL) from aqueous solutions at various initial dye concentration (50-300 mg/l), pH (4-10), adsorbent dosage (2-8 g/l), particle size (354-846 microm) and temperature (30-50 degrees C) on wheat bran were studied in a batch mode operation. The result showed that the amount adsorbed of the dye increased with increasing initial dye concentration and contact time, whereas particle size and pH had no significant affect on the amount of dye adsorbed by the adsorbent. A comparison of kinetic models on the overall adsorption rate showed that dye/adsorbent system was best described by the pseudo second-order rate model. The removal rate was also dependent on both external mass transfer and intra-particle diffusion. The low value of the intraparticle diffusivity, 10(-11) cm2/s, indicated the significant influence of intraparticle diffusion on the kinetic control. The adsorption capacity (Q0) calculated from the Langmuir isotherm was 69.06 mg/g for at pH 5.6, 303 K for the particle size of 354 microm. The experimental data yielded excellent fits with Langmuir and Tempkin isotherm equations. Different thermodynamic parameters showed that the reaction was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.     

Adsorption of gold ions from industrial wastewater using activated carbon derived from hard shell of apricot stones - an agricultural waste

In this study, hard shell of apricot stones was selected from agricultural solid wastes to prepare effective and low cost adsorbent for the gold separation from gold-plating wastewater. Different adsorption parameters like adsorbent dose, particle size of activated carbon, pH and agitation speed of mixing on the gold adsorption were studied. The results showed that under the optimum operating conditions, more than 98% of gold was adsorbed onto activated carbon after only 3 h. The equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Isotherms have been used to obtain thermodynamic parameters. Gold desorption studies were performed with aqueous solution mixture of sodium hydroxide and organic solvents at ambient temperatures. Quantitative recovery of gold ions is possible by this method. As hard shell of apricot stones is a discarded as waste from agricultural and food industries, the prepared activated carbon is expected to be an economical product for gold ion recovery from wastewater.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. II. Binding capacity,recovery and mass transfer properties

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography media suited for large scale separations were compared regarding dynamic binding capacity, recovery and mass transfer properties. In all cases, pore diffusion was the rate limiting step. Reduced heights equivalent to a theoretical plate for bovine serum albumin derived from breakthrough curves at reduced velocities between 60 and 1500 ranged from 10 to 700. Pore diffusion coefficients were derived from pulse response experiments for the model proteins alpha-lactalbumin, lysozyme, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin G. Diffusivity of lysozyme did not follow the trend of decreasing diffusivity with increasing molecular mass, as observed for the rest of the proteins. In general, mass transfer coefficients were smaller compared to ion-exchange chromatography. Dynamic binding capacities for the model protein bovine serum albumin varied within a broad range. However, sorbents based on polymethacrylate showed a lower dynamic capacity than media based on Sepharose. Some sorbents could be clustered regarding binding capacity affected by salt. These sorbents exhibited a disproportional increase of binding capacity with increasing ammonium sulfate concentration. Recovery of proteins above 75% could be observed for all sorbents. Several sorbents showed a recovery close to 100%.