Production of propionic acid using a xylose utilizingPropionibacterium

The kinetics ofP. acidipropionici (ATCC25562), a xylose-utilizing rumen microorganism, was studied to assess its use for propionic acid production from wood hydrolyzates. Propionic acid has been shown to have a stronger inhibitory effect than acetic acid, with the undissociated acid form being responsible for the majority of the inhibitory effect. Thus, in batch tests with pH controlled at 6.0, the propionic acid concentration reaches 25 g/L and the acetic acid 7 g/L. Xylose uptake rate is dependent on the specific growth rate and glucose concentration. An immobilized cell columnar reactor at very high product yields (80%) proved adequate for propionic production. At cell concentrations of 95 g/L with high product concentration, volumetric productivities of 2.7 g/L·h were obtained in ultrafiltration cell recycle systems.     

PROTEIN SEPARATION USING ULTRAFILTRATION——AN EXAMPLE OF MULTI-SCALE COMPLEX SYSTEMS

In this mini-review, the complexity of protein fractionation using ultrafiltration is discussed. The coupling of the system hydrodynamics, boundary layer transport, membrane permeation, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions and its effects on protein transmission and membrane selectivity are analysed. Although ultrafiltration is promising for larger scale protein purification and also with outstanding advantages both technically and economically, much needs to be done to derive the general guidance for membrane selection, process design and system operation. With fine tuning of operational and physiochemical conditions, the process can be greatly improved in terms of process productivity and protein purity. A coupled multi-scale approach might provide a way forward to analyse this complex system and improve the confidence in applying such a promising technology and predictability of the outcome.     

Application of micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) for arsenic (v) removal from aqueous solutions and process optimization

In this study, the removal of arsenic was evaluated using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration process. Response surface methodology and Box-Behnken matrix methods were also applied to design the experiments and determine the optimum conditions. Therefore, the main operational parameters including pH (4–10), initial concentration of arsenic (20–80?µg/L), and concentration of Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) (1–3?mM) were investigated. The results of analysis of variance revealed a good agreement between experimental data and the built model with the determination coefficient (R²) of 0.99. Accordingly, the removal efficiency obtained was about 94.8% at the optimal condition (pH?=?6.73, the initial concentration of arsenic?=?29.44?µg/L, and CTAB concentration of 2.83?mM).     

Membrane processes used for separation of effluents from wire productions

Metal wires are produced from different metals using drawing methods. The metal used influences both the technology applied and the composition of effluents generated during wires production. Ultrafiltration and nanofiltration are used for the separation of waste emulsions from cable factories. Membrane distillation was proposed for the treatment of acidic saline wastewater generated during steel wire manufacturing (etching). The possibility of the previously mentioned processes application for water reuse is presented. The application of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes (FP 100) with the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 100 kDa in the ultrafiltration process resulted in the reduction of 99 % of oil and lubricants in the treated emulsions and allowed complete removal of suspended solids and colloidal substances. Such pre-treated emulsion was subsequently purified by nanofiltration (NF-90-2540) and a 98 % rejection of copper ions was achieved, resulting in a decrease of the permeate electrical conductivity from 3200 μS cm⁻¹ to 260 μS cm⁻¹. The obtained permeate was suitable for preparation of fresh oil emulsion utilized for lubrication in the wire drawing process. The spent etching baths (from steel wire production), which mainly contained FeSO₄ and about 1 mass % of sulfuric acid, were separated by membrane distillation. The obtained permeates were: clean water with electrical conductivity at a level of 3–5 μS cm⁻¹. Concentrates (190–200 g of Fe per L) from the MD process were cooled to 295 K, which enabled the FeSO₄ crystallization. Application of the above-mentioned membrane processes allows producing high quality product water, over 90 % of water was recovered from the treated wastewaters. Presented at the 35th International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 26–30 May 2008.     

Immobilization ofLactobacillus bulgaricus in a hollowfiber bioreactor for production of lactic acid from acid whey permeate

Lactobacillus bulgaricus was immobilized in the shell side of an industrial hollow-fiber ultrafiltration module. Acid whey permeate, containing 46 g/L lactose supplemented with 10 g/L yeast extract, was pumped through the tube side at dilution rates of 0.2–2.5/h. At a cell concentration of 100 g/L, productivity was 1.5–5 g lactic acid/L/h.     

Rapid separation of humic acid in fresh waters by coprecipitation and flotation

After removal of suspended matter in 1 liter of water by flotation with a cationic surfactant, humic acid at theg/l level is separated from fulvic acid by coprecipitation with milligram quantities of iron(III) hydroxide at pH 7 followed by flotation with anionic surfactants. The iron(III) hydroxide is dissolved in 2M hydrochloric acid, and the acid-insoluble humic acid is filtered off on an ultrafilter and then dissolved in 10 ml of 0.1M potassium hydroxide solution for measurements of absorption spectra, molecular weight distribution and complexing ability. The time required for the separation is ca. 1 h.     

基于壳聚糖的浊度法测定超滤膜截留率

研究了以壳聚糖为基准物、浊度法测定超滤膜截留率的方法。以氢氧化钠为沉淀剂,用浊度法分别对6种不同相对分子质量的壳聚糖浓度进行检测,探讨了壳聚糖相对分子质量与氢氧化钠浓度等因素对浊度的影响。结果表明,壳聚糖含量在25~1 000 mg/L范围内与浊度呈现良好的线性关系,线性相关系数r~2≥0.996,检出限在2.1~4.8mg/L之间,样品加标回收率为82.1%~122%。测量结果的相对标准偏差为0.75%~8.7%(n=6)。该法快速、简便,可为超滤膜研究、生产、改性及应用等提供理论指导。