Fabrication of novel agarose–nickel bilayer composite for purification of protein nanoparticles in expanded bed adsorption column

• Published in: Chemical engineering research & design 2020-07, Vol.159, p.291-299
• Main Authors: Mofidian, Roozbeh, Barati, Aboulfazl, Jahanshahi, Mohsen, Shahavi, Mohammad Hassan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Agarose; Atomic force microscopy; Bilayer adsorbent; Bilayers; Composite materials; Expanded bed; Expanded beds; Flow velocity; Lactoferrin; Ligands; Morphology; Nanoparticles; Nickel; Optical microscopes; Particle density (concentration); Proteins; Purification; Residence time distribution
• ISSN: 0263-8762; 1744-3563
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2020.03.024

•Agarose–nickel bilayer composite adsorbent was obtained by the three-phase emulsion method.•Adsorbents size was in the range of 60–300μm which satisfies the industrial process.•The synthesized adsorbent was immobilized by Cibacron Blue 3GA dye–ligand and applied to the NBG column.•Lactoferrin nanoparticles were employed as a protein adsorption process in the chromatography column.•Dynamic binding capacity at 10% breakthrough and the 2-fold flow rate was more than 70%. In the present work, a novel agarose–nickel bilayer composite (ANBC) adsorbents modified with Cibacron Blue 3GA (CB3) dye-ligand were fabricated via the three-phase emulsion method. The surface morphology of the novel adsorbents was evaluated using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Also, the commercially purchased adsorbents were modified with the same ligand and compared to novel composite (ANBC-CB3). Also, Lactoferrin (Lf) nanoparticles synthesized and employed as a protein model. Residence time distribution experiments were performed to consider the effect of particle density and fluid viscosity. The results established that the ANBC-CB3 bilayer composite follows a typical size range of 60–300μm and a mean diameter of 125μm with a spherical appearance. In batch adsorption, ANBC-CB3 revealed a higher dynamic binding capacity (DBC) of Lf versus Streamline™-CB3. Furthermore, the experimental data were consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model. Finally, The DBC at 10% breakthrough and the two-fold flow rate was more than 70% for the novel adsorbent. It was proved that ANBC-CB3 as high selective adsorbents for protein nanoparticle purification is suitable for high flow rate operations in an expanded bed column.