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Membrane Filtration (membrane + filtration)
Selected AbstractsSize Fractionation of Metal Nanoparticles by Membrane Filtration,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 5 2005A. Akthakul A novel thin film composite nanofiltration (NF) membrane is fabricated by coating a conventional ultrafiltration membrane with a self-assembling amphiphilic graft copolymer. The NF membranes are used in the fractionation of gold nanoparticles to achieve a well-defined particle cutoff diameter and reduced size dispersity (see Figure). [source] Isolation of Laribacter hongkongensis, a novel bacterium associated with gastroenteritis, from drinking water reservoirs in Hong KongJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007S.K.P. Lau Abstract Aims:, Freshwater fish has been found to be the reservoir of Laribacter hongkongensis, a recently discovered bacterium associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis. However, little is known about the ecology of this bacterium in the aquatic environment. We carried out a surveillance study to investigate the presence of L. hongkongensis in water and freshwater fish from 10 drinking water reservoirs in Hong Kong. Methods and Results:, Using membrane filtration, L. hongkongensis was isolated from the waters of six reservoirs, with numbers ranging from 1 to 12 CFU l,1. Higher recovery rates were observed in summer and during days of higher water and ambient temperatures. Of 27 freshwater fish collected from the reservoirs, L. hongkongensis was recovered from the intestines of two fish, a Goldfish and a Nile tilapia. Overall, 35 different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns are found among the 59 isolates recovered from water and the two isolates from freshwater fish. Conclusions:, The present report represents the first to demonstrate the presence of L. hongkongensis in natural water environments. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Although it is unlikely that treated, drinking water is an important source of L. hongkongensis -associated gastroenteritis, one should be aware of the possibility of other contaminated water as a source of human infection. [source] Cytotoxic Bacillus spp. belonging to the B. cereus and B. subtilis groups in Norwegian surface watersJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Ø. Østensvik Abstract Aims:, To investigate the presence and numbers of Bacillus spp. spores in surface waters and examine isolates belonging to the B. cereus and B. subtilis groups for cytotoxicity, and to discuss the presence of cytotoxic Bacillus spp. in surface water as hazard identification in a risk assessment approach in the food industry. Methods and Results:, Samples from eight different rivers with variable degree of faecal pollution, and two drinking water sources, were heat shocked and examined for the presence of Bacillus spp. spores using membrane filtration followed by cultivation on bovine blood agar plates. Bacillus spp. was present in all samples. The numbers varied from 15 to 1400 CFU 100 ml,1. Pure cultures of 86 Bacillus spp. isolates representing all sampling sites were characterized using colony morphology, atmospheric requirements, spore and sporangium morphology, and API 50 CHB and API 20E. Bacillus spp. representing the B. cereus and B. subtilis groups were isolated from all samples. Twenty-one isolates belonging to the B. cereus and B. subtilis groups, representing eight samples, were screened for cytotoxicity. Nine strains of B. cereus and five strains belonging to the B. subtilis group were cytotoxic. Conclusions:, The presence of cytotoxic Bacillus spp. in surface water represents a possible source for food contamination. Filtration and chlorination of surface water, the most common drinking water treatment in Norway, do not remove Bacillus spores efficiently. This was confirmed by isolation of spores from tap water samples. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Contamination of food with water containing low numbers of Bacillus spores implies a risk for bacterial growth in foods. Consequently, high numbers of Bacillus spp. may occur after growth in some products. High numbers of cytotoxic Bacillus spp. in foods may represent a risk for food poisoning. [source] A 210-min solid phase cytometry test for the enumeration of Escherichia coli in drinking waterJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2000S.O. Van Poucke A 210-min-test for the enumeration of Escherichia coli in drinking water is described, based on solid phase cytometry (SPC) and a two-step enzymatic procedure for fluorescence labelling of single cells and small microcolonies. The test involves membrane filtration through a 25-mm black polyester filter, induction of ,-glucuronidase in the retained target cells, fluorescence labelling with fluorescein-di-,- d -glucuronide as an enzyme substrate and laser scanning of the membrane filter. Scan results can be confirmed on-line by epifluorescence microscopy. Application to 149 naturally contaminated and uncontaminated well, tap, out-of-pump centre (distribution), surface and sewage-spiked water samples indicated ,,90% agreement and equivalence with plate count methods, including Chromocult Coliform agar and m FC agar. In 5·4% of all samples examined, SPC detected between 1 and 11 E. coli per 100 ml, while the two plate methods yielded negative results. Cases of a negative SPC result but a positive E. coli count on both reference media were not observed. This test would primarily be useful for ,emergency' monitoring of drinking water when rapid results are crucial. [source] CLARIFICATION AND PURIFICATION OF AQUEOUS STEVIA EXTRACT USING MEMBRANE SEPARATION PROCESSJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009M.H.M. REIS ABSTRACT Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a native plant from South America and its active constituents have been considered the "sweeteners of the future."Stevia is a natural diet-sweetening source, safe to health and without calories. However, the obtained raw extract is foul smelling, bitter tasting, dark brown colored, and presents suspension matter due to organic and inorganic compounds. Therefore, further purification/clarification is essential in order to get a product of commercial quality. In this work ceramic membranes were applied in the stevia extract clarification process. The process was carried out under different membrane pore sizes and at different pressure values. The best clarification result was obtained with the membrane of 0.1 µm at 4 bar. On the other hand, the best condition for the flux was obtained with the membrane of 0.2 µm at 6 bar. The process with all the tested membranes and conditions achieved recovery of sweeteners higher than 90%. Finally, a filtration mathematical model was applied to describe the flux behavior, showing that the main fouling phenomenon during the process occurred because of the complete blocking of pores. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Stevia is the world's only all-natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index. However, the obtained stevia extract has a dark brown appearance, mainly because of the presence of impurities. In this work the membrane separation process was studied for stevia extract clarification and purification in order to get a product with higher commercial acceptability. The obtained results showed that total clarification and recuperation of sweeteners was almost achieved. Nonetheless, membrane fouling is an inevitable problem during membrane filtration. The mathematical analysis of the fouling occurrences showed that the complete blocking of pores is the main cause for the membrane permeability decrease. [source] Analysis of clogging behaviors of diatomaceous ceramic membranes during membrane filtration based upon specific depositAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2010Eiji Iritani Abstract Fouling behaviors in membrane filtration of dilute suspension of polystyrene latex (PSL) were examined under constant-pressure conditions using diatomaceous ceramic membranes which are semi-permeable to the PSL. Flux decline behaviors were evaluated in consideration of the effect of the solid permeation through the membrane. The conventional characteristic filtration equation was modified by applying the Kozeny-Carman equation to the filtrate flow through the membrane pores. In the model, the porosity and specific surface area of the membrane were represented by unique functions of the solid deposit retained in the membrane pores. The variations of the filtration rate and filtrate volume with the filtration time were accurately described based upon the modified characteristic filtration equation. It was revealed that the extent of the membrane blocking per unit deposit load increased with the decrease in the pore size of the membrane and with decreasing pressure, but was little influenced by the suspension concentration. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] High throughput synthesis and screening of new protein resistant surfaces for membrane filtrationAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2010Mingyan Zhou Abstract A novel high throughput method for synthesis and screening of customized protein-resistant surfaces was developed. This method is an inexpensive, fast, reproducible and scalable approach to synthesize and screen protein-resistance surfaces appropriate for a specific feed. The method is illustrated here by combining a high throughput platform (HTP) approach together with our patented photo-induced graft polymerization (PGP) method developed for facile modification of commercial poly(aryl sulfone) membranes. This new HTP-PGP method was validated by comparison with our previous published results obtained using a bench-scale filtration assay of six well-studied monomers. Optimally-performing surfaces for resisting a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), were identified from a library of 66 monomers. Surfaces were prepared via graft polymerization onto poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membranes and were evaluated using a protein adsorption assay followed by pressure-driven filtration. Bench-scale verification was conducted for selected monomers using HTP-PGP method; a good correlation with HTP-PGP results was found. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Physico-chemical characterisation of 99mTc-tin fluoride colloid agent used for labelling white cellsJOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 6 2006Chris Tsopelas Abstract 99mTc,tin fluoride colloid is an agent used to label leucocytes, for the imaging and diagnosis of inflammatory conditions including Crohn's disease. Despite previous investigations, this radiolabelling agent is still poorly characterised. The aim of this work was to examine the process of formation and stability of 99mTc,tin fluoride colloid using mass spectrometry, membrane filtration and atomic absorption spectrophotometric techniques. Tin-oxide bonds in tin clusters were identified in the stannous fluoride reagent vial by mass spectrometry. From radioactive particle size distribution experiments, the facile disruption of radiocolloid particles with excess oxygen gas contrasted to the partial hydrolysis of Sn(II) during the formation process. Under the standard conditions, 10% of particles were determined as 1,3 µm, and this population coordinated 96% of the 99mTc added. Colloid particle formation and the reduction of 99mTc-pertechnetate is discussed. Sodium fluoride may optimise 1,3 µm radioactive particle size, by regulating particle growth. 99mTc,tin fluoride colloid is affected by positive or negative charge, as either Al, Mo ions or solid membranes, resulting in either coagulation and/or deflocculation of the particles. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predictive membrane transport model for nanofiltration processes in water treatmentAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2001Shih-Chieh Tu A membrane transport model was developed for prediction and simulation of membrane filtration (nanofiltration) dynamics with reference to permeate flux. It incorporates important phenomenological aspects of membrane transport, such as concentration polarization and gel layer formation, and illustrates the concentration of solutes as foulants in the mass-transfer boundary layer on the membrane surface. Membrane filtration tests using tannic acid as a model organic compound were designed for investigating permeate fluxes, as well as solute concentration profiles for permeates and concentrates. Membrane performance experiments were conducted under various operation conditions by varying several parameters including solute concentrations, transmembrane pressures, and reject flow rates. The tests showed that the NF-45 membrane composed of polypiperazine amide was more susceptible to organic fouling by tannic acid than the NF-70 membrane made of cross-linked aromatic polyamide. These observations were supported by surface-potential measurements that demonstrated higher negative surface charges and greater hydrophilicity for the NF-70 membrane in the presence of tannic acid. The predictive capability of the membrane transport model was evaluated using the results from membrane filtration tests. Model sensitivity studies were conducted to obtain information on effects of various input parameters pertaining to operating conditions and fluid-dynamic regimes. [source] Detection of Mollicutes in bioreactor samples by real-time transcription-mediated amplificationLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2010S. Laborde Abstract Aim:, Contamination by Mollicutes is a significant challenge for research laboratories and biopharmaceutical industry. It leads to alteration of results or production quality as well as loss of time, materials and revenue. These organisms can czoriginate from mammalian, avian, insect, plant or fish cells. Culture-based methods may require 28 days to detect Mollicutes. Traditional microbiology could advantageously be replaced by nucleic acid testing for earlier detection. Methods and Results:, A membrane filtration-based concentration of the Mollicutes has been coupled to real-time transcription-mediated amplification (real-time TMA) to demonstrate these advantages. The eight species required by European Pharmacopoeia have been tested and were detected with sensitivity below 100 CFU per 20-ml sample. Co-culture experiments, in which Mollicutes are grown with CHO-S (suspension) or HEK 293 (adherent) cells, were also performed to respectively mimic a bioreactor or flask contamination. Despite the fact that Mollicutes can attach to or invade mammalian cells, they were consistently detected over multiple days. Conclusions:, the sample preparation and amplification method used in this study increases sensitivity and reduces time-to-result for detection of Mollicutes. Significance and Impact of the Study:, the described system allows real-time monitoring for microbial contamination of cell-based processes and products for the biopharmaceutical industry. [source] Evaluation of recovery methods to detect faecal streptococci in polluted watersLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Massa Aims: This paper compares the faecal streptococci count on 25 samples of polluted waters obtained with three techniques: most probable number (MPN), membrane filtration (MF) and pour plate (PP) methods. Although the PP method is a simple technique, familiar to water bacteriologists, it is not recommended in the international methods. Methods and Results: For the MPN method, azide dextrose broth and ethyl violet azide broth were employed. For the MF technique, Millipore filters were placed onto azide maltose agar (KF agar), while for the PP method, 1 ml of a decimal water dilution was added to (Kennel Faecal) KF medium. Regression analysis and Friedman's ANOVA were performed to determine the relationship between faecal streptococci counts obtained with the three techniques. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the MPN, MF and PP techniques were equally valid with respect to faecal streptococci enumeration in polluted waters. Conclusions: Since the PP method was found to be as good as the other techniques, it may be preferred in polluted waters. It is more economical in terms of both time and materials than the MPN count, and it is as accurate as the MF count. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study indicates that the PP method, although not recommended internationally, is a reliable alternative to MF and MPN. [source] Remediation with cyclodextrin: Recovery of the remedial agent by membrane filtrationREMEDIATION, Issue 3 2007Thomas B. Boving Cyclodextrin-enhanced flushing of contaminants from the subsurface is a promising innovative remediation technology. It will become more economically viable at more sites if methods can be developed to recover and reconcentrate the cyclodextrin solution after it has been flushed through an aquifer. The goal of this study was to determine if membrane technology is capable of meeting that need. Five membranes with different material properties were tested for this purpose in the laboratory. The results of these tests indicate that there are large differences both in the efficiency of these membranes to extract hydroxpropyl-,-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and their stability when exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) at concentrations near aqueous solubility. Not only does the molecular weigh cutoff (MWCO) of a membrane determine if HPCD can be retained, but crucial selection criteria are the membrane's resistance and compatibility with TCE. Of the five membrane materials tested, only two (polymer composite membrane and polysulfone) met both these requirements. The polymer composite membrane (MPF-44) showed reliable and stable HPCD recoveries (>95 percent) even when exposed to high TCE concentrations. The polysulfone membrane showed high HPCD recoveries, 88.5 ± 0.4 percent to 97 percent ±1 percent for ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes, respectively. However, membrane swelling and deterioration became a problem at high TCE concentrations (>1,000 mg/L). These problems diminished when the TCE concentration was less than 1 mg/L. Field tests demonstrated that batch mode treatment by ultrafiltration doubled the cyclodextrin concentration from 5 to 10 percent within three hours at a constant operating pressure of 13 psi. Under continuous single-pass treatment conditions, cyclodextrin concentration also increased, although the rate of increase was much smaller than in batch mode. Overall, these tests showed that cyclodextrin recovery is possible under field conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Initial Deposition of Colloidal Particles on a Rough Nanofiltration MembraneTHE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2007Tania Rizwan Abstract The initial rate of colloid deposition onto semi-permeable membranes is largely controlled by the coupled influence of permeation drag and particle-membrane colloidal interactions. Recent studies show that the particle-membrane interactions are subject to immense local variations due to the inherent morphological heterogeneity (roughness) of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes. This experimental investigation reports the effect of membrane roughness on the initial deposition of polystyrene latex particles on a rough NF membrane during cross flow membrane filtration under different operating pressures and solution chemistries. Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the roughness of the membrane and observe the structure of particle deposits. At the initial stages of fouling, the AFM images show that more particles preferentially accumulate near the "peaks" than in the "valleys" of the rough NF membrane surface. Le taux initial de la déposition colloïdale sur des membranes semi-perméables est largement contrôlé par l'influence couplée entre la traînée de perméation et les interactions colloïdales membrane-particules. Des études récentes montrent que les interactions membranes-particules sont sujettes à d'immenses variations locales en raison de l'hétérogénéité morphologique inhérente (rugosité) des membranes d'osmose inverse (RO) et de nanofiltration (NF). Cette étude expérimentale décrit l'effet de la rugosité des membranes sur la déposition initiale de particules de latex de polystyrène sur une membrane NF rugueuse lors de la filtration des membranes en écoulement transversal pour différentes conditions opératoires et compositions chimiques des solutions. On a eu recours à la microscopie à force atomique pour caractériser la rugosité de la membrane et observer la structure des dépôts de particules. Aux stades initiaux du refoulement, les images AFM montrent que les particules s'accumulent préférentiellement près des «pics» plutôt que dans les «vallées» de la surface de membrane NF rugueuse. [source] Mechanistic study of membrane concentration and recovery of Listeria monocytogenesBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2005Wan-Tzu Chen Abstract Detection of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes requires that food samples be processed to remove proteins and lipids, concentrate microorganisms to a detectable concentration, and recover the concentrated cells in a small volume compatible with micron-scale biochips. Mechanistic considerations addressed in this research include the roles of membrane structure, pore size, and detergents in maximizing recovery of cells from a complex biological fluid. The fluid in this case was a food sample (hotdog extract) inoculated with L. monocytogenes. This study showed how membrane filtration using a syringe filter is able to concentrate L. monocytogenes by 95× with up to 95% recovery of living microorganisms by concentrating 50 mL of food sample into a volume of 500 ,L. Tween 20 was added to the sample to prevent irreversible adsorption of the microorganism to the membrane and thereby help to ensure high recovery. Comparison of polycarbonate, mixed cellulose, nylon, and PVDF membranes with 0.2 to 0.45 ,m pores showed the 0.2 ,m polycarbonate membrane with straight through, mono-radial pores gives the highest recovery of living microorganisms. The mixed cellulose, nylon, and PVDF membranes have a fibrous structure whose characteristic openings are much larger than their effective pore size cut-offs of 0.22 or 0.45 ,m. We define conditions for rapid membrane-based cell concentration and recovery that has the potential to supplant enrichment steps that require a day or more. This approach has the added benefit of facilitating examination of a large amount of fluid volume by reducing its volume to a range that is compatible with the microliter scales of biochip or other biosensor detection systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Electro-membrane filtration for the selective isolation of bioactive peptides from an ,s2 -casein hydrolysateBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 6 2002Gerrald Bargeman Abstract For the isolation of the ingredients required for functional foods and nutraceuticals generally membrane filtration has too low a selectivity and chromatography is (too) expensive. Electro-membrane filtration (EMF) seems to be a breakthrough technology for the isolation of charged nutraceutical ingredients from natural sources. EMF combines the separation mechanisms of membrane filtration and electrophoresis. In this study, positively charged peptides with antimicrobial activity were isolated from an ,s2 -casein hydrolysate using batch-wise EMF. ,s2 -Casein f(183,207), a peptide with strong antimicrobial activity, predominated in the isolated product and was enriched from 7.5% of the total protein components in the feed to 25% in the permeate product. With conventional membrane diafiltration using the same membrane (GR60PP), isolation of this and other charged bioactive peptides could not be achieved. The economics of EMF are mainly governed by the energy costs and the capital investment, which is affected by the flux of the desired peptide. A maximum average transport rate of ,s2 -casein f(183,207) during batch-wise EMF of 1.2 g/m2 · h was achieved. Results indicate that an increase in the hydrolysate (feed) concentration, the applied potential difference and the conductivity of the permeate and electrode solutions, and a reduction in the conductivity of the feed result in a higher transport rate of ,s2 -casein f(183,207). This is in line with the expectation that the transport rate is improved when the concentration, the electrical field strength, or the electrophoretic mobility is increased, provided that the electrophoretic transport predominates. The expected energy consumption of the EMF process per gram of peptide transported was reduced by approximately 50% by applying a low overall potential difference and by processing desalinated hydrolysate. Considerable improvements in transport rate, energy efficiency, and process economics seem to be attainable by additional optimization of the process parameters and the EMF module design. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 80: 599,609, 2002. [source] Monitoring the fractionation of a whey protein isolate during dead-end membrane filtration using fluorescence and chemometric methodsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2010Rand Elshereef Abstract During membrane-based separation of proteins, changes in protein concentration of the permeate and retentate streams occurs over time. The current work proposes a new approach for monitoring the changes in concentrations of proteins in both permeate and retentate by making use of data collected using fluorescence spectroscopy and intrinsic protein fluorescence analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques. Whey protein isolate consists mainly of ,-lactalbumin (,-LA), ,-lactoglobulin (,-LG), and small proportion of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and was used as a model system in this study. A fiber optic probe (FOP) was used to acquire multiwavelength fluorescence spectra for permeate and retentate streams at different times during UF-based separation of the components from a multicomponent solution. Multivariate regression models were developed for predicting the concentrations of ,-LA, ,-LG, and BSA by establishing a calibration model between data acquired using the FOP and the corresponding protein concentration levels measured by size-exclusion chromatography. The model was validated using FOP data that were not previously used for calibration of the regression models. This comparison showed that concentrations of ,-LA, ,-LG, and BSA could be predicted directly from FOP data within reasonable accuracy by making use of multivariate calibration tools. This approach has several attractive features including that it is nondestructive, fast, and relatively simple to perform. This technique has potential practical applications as it could offer the opportunity for in situ monitoring of membrane filtration processes by tracking individual protein transmission and selectivity of fractionation. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source] Dead-End Liposomal Electro-Filtration: Phenol Removal by Dioctadecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride as a Case StudyCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 8 2010M. Hakimhashem Abstract Among the important efforts that have been made for the removal of trace organic molecules, sorption by micelles and subsequent membrane filtration is a promising method which, however, still suffers from a number of disadvantages such as low efficiency and high energy consumption. In this article, we present the results of the sorption of phenol (as an important trace organic pollutant in industrial wastewater) to dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DODAC) liposomes, as well as the filtration properties of the resulting dispersion. Whereas the sorption of phenol by a 0.5,wt,% DODAC dispersion at neutral pH and ambient temperature was only 26,35,%, it increased to above 95,% at pH,11. Applying an electric field during the filtration process considerably improved both the filtrate flow rate and the retention. An electric field of 5,V/cm increased the filtrate flow rate at 200,kPa 30-fold. [source] Recent Advances in the Recovery and Improvement of Functional Proteins from Fish Processing By-Products: Use of Protein Glycation as an Alternative MethodCOMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, Issue 4 2009Esther Sanmartín ABSTRACT:, The recovery of proteins from fish by-products for their utilization as food ingredients is becoming of increasing interest in the food industry as they may possess good functional and nutritional properties. This article reviews the main processing methods, such as enzymatic hydrolysis, pH shifting, membrane filtration, and some emerging technologies, used for the recovery of proteins from fish processing by-products. The impact of these methods on the yield and, especially, on the functionality of the recovered proteins is discussed in detail. Considering that there is a huge amount of fish by-products destined for nonfood use, one of the current challenges of the food industry is the development of technologies that allow the recovery of ingredients from the fish processing by-products with potential to provide new and natural sources of high-value functional ingredients for human consumption. In this sense, this review explores the potential use of the glycation reaction to increase the yield of proteins extracted from fish by-products, as well as the effect of this reaction on their functional and biological properties. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||