Protein Adsorption and Deposition onto Microfiltration Membranes: The Role of Solute–Solid Interactions

✍ Scribed by F. Martı́nez; A. Martı́n; P. Prádanos; J.I. Calvo; L. Palacio; A. Hernández

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 265 KB
• Volume: 221
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9797
• DOI: 10.1006/jcis.1999.6575

✦ Synopsis

The mass of gamma-globulin fouling an Anodisc alumina membrane with a nominal pore diameter of 0.1 µm has been measured at several concentrations and pHs. This fouling resulted from filtering through the membrane in a continuous recirculation device. The low-concentration fouling can be attributed mainly to adsorption. The complete concentration dependence of fouling mass has been obtained and fitted to a Freundlich heterogeneous isotherm, from which the pH dependence of active fouling sites and energies has been also obtained. Adsorption is studied as a function of the electrostatic forces between the solute and the membrane. A sharp maximum in the adsorbed mass for zero electrostatic force is observed. At high concentrations, accumulation plays a relevant role at alkaline pH, as confirmed by flux decay experiments, retention measurements, and AFM (atomic force microscopy) pictures.