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Chemical Engineering Science, Vol.57, No.4, 693-703, 2002
Concentration and desalination of protein solutions by ultrafiltration
In this study the effects of ionic strength and PH on ultrafiltration of protein solutions are examined. Experiments are done with BSA/NaCl solutions with PH varying from 3 to 8 and ionic strength from 5 to 150 mM. Fluxes depend on solution conditions and increase with decreasing ionic strength. They show a minimum at the iso-electric point. At pH values above the iso-electric point rejection of chloride is negative; this is due to electrostatic repulsion of the chloride ions by the negatively charged protein molecules. At pH 3, below the iso-electric point, the chloride rejection is positive. In this case the chloride ions are attracted by the protein., which is now positively charged. We describe our results by a model based upon the Maxwell-Stefan theory of mass transfer. This model takes electrical effects into account. Non-idealities are described using the Camahan-Starling equation of state for rigid spheres. Rejections and fluxes are well described by the model.