Effect of high voltage electrical discharges on filtration properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast suspensions

In the present work the dead-end filtration of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast suspensions disrupted by high voltage electrical discharges (HVED treatment) was investigated. The efficiency of disruption was evaluated using conductivity disintegration index of suspension Z (Z = 0–1) and absorbance spectra of supernatant solutions. The electronic microscopy study, particle sizing and measuring of ζ-potential and turbidity were used to characterize variation of the colloidal properties of a yeast suspension during disruption. The HVED treatment was found to cause an effective disruption of yeast cells and extraction of intracellular proteins and other bio-products. The study of filtration revealed suspension filterability deterioration after disruption. It was shown that filtration behaviour of the HVED-processed suspensions was governed by cake formation, the filtrate volume decreased and the cake resistance increased with increase of Z. For high levels of disruption (Z > 0.99), filtration was governed by membrane fouling. The optimal dosage of polycationic flocculant promoted the formation of flocks and accelerated filtration. However, selected flocculant (poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)) provoked binding of bio-product and was inappropriate for using as an agent enhancing extraction from disrupted yeast cells.