Adsorption of BSA on strongly basic chitosan: Equilibria

Equilibrium isotherms for adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on a new adsorbent, a strongly basic crosslinked chitosan (Chitopearl 2503), which is hard and is not compressed by pressure in a column, have been presented and compared with diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) Sepharose Fast Flow (hard gel). In Chitopearl 2503, when only buffer existed in the BSA solution, the isotherm was not affected by the initial concentration of BSA but it was affected by pH considerably. The isotherm was favorable when pH >/= pl ( congruent with 4.8). When NaCl existed in the BSA solution, the amount of BSA absorbed on the resin decreased with increasing concentration of NaCl. When the concentration of NaCl was 200 mol/m(3), the resin did not adsorb BSA at all. The equilibrium data were correlated by the Langmuir equation reasonably well. The BSA may be adsorbed mainly by electrostatic attraction between negatively charged BSA and positively charged quanternary ammonium groups at pH > pl and by protonation reaction of the primary ammonium groups by weak acid groups of BSA at pH = pl. These are confirmed by measuring the amount of inorganic ion exchanged for BSA. In DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow, the isotherm was favorable when pH > pl but unfavorable ar pH = pl. The saturation capacity of BSA on Chitopearl 2503 is about 1.3 to 2.2 times larger than that on DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.