Modeling of protein adsorption in membrane affinity chromatography

For the design of affinity membranes, protein adsorption in membrane affinity chromatography (MAC) was studied by frontal analysis. According to fast mass transfer, small thickness of affinity membranes and high affinity between the protein and the ligand, an ideal adsorption (IA) model was proposed for MAC and was used together with equilibrium-dispersive (E-D) model to describe the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto cellulose diacetate/polyethyleneimine (CA/PEI) blend membranes with and without Cu2+ chelating. E-D model was found to better describe the initial region of experimental breakthrough curves. The influence of axial dispersion was revealed and it showed the importance of design of the module to homogenously distribute feed solution. IA model was found to be better for the whole experimental breakthrough curve. According to it, the capacity of affinity membranes and the specificity of the interaction are of equal importance for the design of affinity membranes. An optimum feed concentration was also found in the operation of MAC. The discrepancy between experimental optimum feed concentrations and predicted ones from IA model may be due to the ignorance of some experimental effects such as axial dispersion.

Mixed reforming of heptane to syngas in the Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 membrane reactor

Fuel cells are recognized as the most promising new power generation technology, but hydrogen supply is still a problem. In our previous work, we have developed a LiLaNiO/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst, which is excellent not only for partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, but also for steam reforming and autothermal reforming. However, the reaction needs pure oxygen or air as oxidant. We have developed a dense oxygen permeable membrane Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 which has an oxygen permeation flux around 11.5 ml/cm(2) min at reaction conditions. Therefore, this work is to combine the oxygen permeable membrane with the catalyst LiLaNiO/gamma-Al2O3 in a membrane reactor for hydrogen production by mixed reforming of heptane. Under optimized reaction conditions, a heptane conversion of 100%, a CO selectivity of 91-93% and a H-2 selectivity of 95-97% have been achieved. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Formulation of a basal medium for primary cell culture of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve

Marine sponge cell culture is a potential route for the sustainable production of sponge-derived bioproducts. Development of a basal culture medium is a prerequisite for the attachment, spreading, and growth of sponge cells in vitro. With the limited knowledge available on nutrient requirements for sponge cells, a series of statistical experimental designs has been employed to screen and optimize the critical nutrient components including inorganic salts (ferric ion, zinc ion, silicate, and NaCl), amino acids (glycine, glutamine, and aspartic acid), sugars (glucose, sorbitol, and sodium pyruvate), vitamin C, and mammalian cell medium (DMEM and RPMI 1640) using MTT assay in 96-well plates. The marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve was used as a model system. Plackett-Burman design was used for the initial screening, which identified the significant factors of ferric ion, NaCl, and vitamin C. These three factors were selected for further optimization by Uniform Design and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), respectively. A basal medium was finally established, which supported an over 100% increase in viability of sponge cells.

Development and application of oxygen permeable membrane in selective oxidation of light alkanes

In this paper, oxygen permeable membrane used in membrane reactor for selective oxidation of alkanes will be discussed in detail. The recent developments for the membrane materials will be presented, and the strategy for the selection of the membrane materials will be outlined. The main applications of oxygen permeable membrane in selective oxidation of light alkanes will be summarized, which includes partial oxidation of methane (POM) to syngas and partial oxidation of heptane (POH) to produce H-2, oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) to C-2, oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODE) to ethylene and oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) to propylene. Achievements for the membrane material developments and selective oxidation of light alkanes in membrane reactor in our group are highlighted.

Preparation and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes supported PtRu catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A series of PtRu nanocomposites supported on H2O2-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized via two chemical reduction methods - one used aqueous formaldehyde (HCHO method) and the other used ethylene glycol (EG method) as the reducing agents. The effects of the solvents (water and ethylene glycol) and the surface composition of the MWCNTs on the deposition and the dispersion of the metal particles were investigated using N-2 adsorption. TEM. ICP-AES. FTIR and TPD. The wetting heats of the MWCNTs in corresponding solvents were also measured. The characterizations suggest that combination of the surface chemistry of the MWCNTs with the solvents decides the deposition and the dispersion of the metal nanoparticles. These nanocomposites were evaluated as proton exchange membrane fuel cell anode catalyts for oxidation of 50 ppm CO contaminated hydrogen and compared with a commercial PtRu/C catalyst. The data reveal superior performances for the nanocomposites prepared by the EG method to those by the HCHO method and even to that for tile Commercial analogue. Structure performance relationship of the nanocomposites was also studied. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.