Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2026

Scalable Step-by-Step Approach of Sustainable Bioplastic Production from Food Waste
Published on: July 18, 2025
Poly(ethylene glycol)-salt aqueous two-phase systems with easily recyclable volatile salts
M van Berlo1, K C Luyben, L A van der Wielen
1Kluyver Institute for Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) have great potential in the downstream processing of fermentation products. However, the consumption of large amounts of auxiliary materials limits application in industrial practice. Promising alternatives to the salts used so far are volatile salts such as ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium carbamate, which can be recycled to the extraction system as gaseous carbon dioxide and ammonia. In this work, it is demonstrated that ammonium carbamate in combination with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, molecular masses of 2000, 4000 and 10000) indeed produces aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) at a temperature of 25 degrees C and atmospheric pressure. Ammonium bicarbonate is clearly not suitable as a phase-forming salt, because of its too-low solubility in water.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...
Ion Exchange
Electrochemical Systems
Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems
Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET)
Similar to cross-metathesis, ADMET also involves the formation of metallacyclobutane intermediate by [2+2] cycloaddition of one of the double bonds of a terminal diene with...

