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Protein transmission during Dean vortex microfiltration of yeast suspensions
1Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|November 7, 1999
Summary
Improved hydrodynamics using Dean vortices in a helical module significantly enhanced microfiltration of yeast suspensions, increasing filtration capacity by 19 times and protein transport by twofold compared to linear modules.
Area of Science:
- Biochemical Engineering
- Fluid Dynamics
- Separation Science
Background:
- Microfiltration of yeast suspensions presents challenges in achieving high transport rates.
- Traditional linear modules exhibit limitations in efficiency for cell and protein separation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of Dean vortices on microfiltration performance.
- To compare the filtration capacity and protein transport of helical versus linear modules.
Main Methods:
- Utilized centrifugal fluid instabilities (Dean vortices) to improve hydrodynamics in a helical module.
- Conducted microfiltration experiments with yeast suspensions under constant permeate flux and constant transmembrane pressure.
- Analyzed protein and fluid volume transport rates.
Main Results:
- The helical module demonstrated 19 times the filtration capacity of a linear module for suspended yeast cells.
- Protein transport was approximately doubled in the helical module compared to the linear module for BSA and beer yeast mixtures.
- Volumetric permeation flux improvements ranged from 18% to 43% for the helical module.
Conclusions:
- Centrifugal fluid instabilities, specifically Dean vortices, significantly enhance microfiltration efficiency for yeast suspensions.
- Helical modules offer superior performance over linear modules for both cell separation and protein recovery in bioprocessing.
