Studies on a Novel Approach for the Separation of L-Phenylalanine Amino Acid from Fermentation Broth Using a Newly Developed Charged Ultrafiltration Membrane. I. Single Solute System

Abstract

A newly developed thin-film composite (TFC) ultrafiltration membrane made of sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) was used to establish the feasibility of separating L-phenylalanine from the fermentation broth containing a number of dissolved inorganic and organic solutes as an alternative approach to the currently used complex and uneconomical conventional ion-exchange schemes. It was found that the rejection of inorganic salts in a single component system was highly dependent on the feed solution concentration and varied inversely with it. The pH of the feed solution was found to have a strong effect on the rejection of L-phenylalanine, changing it from - 10 to 90%. This rejection behavior was identical for the two TFC-SPPO membrane samples which had molecular weight cut-off ratings of 10,000 and 20,000, respectively, although the permeate flux of the latter sample was almost twice that of the former sample. It was found that glucose molecules were not rejected by the membrane.

∗Present address: Trisep Corporation, 93 South La Patera Lane, Coleta, California 93117, USA.

Notes

∗Present address: Trisep Corporation, 93 South La Patera Lane, Coleta, California 93117, USA.