Intensification of the interfacial adsorption of whey soy protein in the liquid phase using a foam separation column with the vertical sieve tray internal

• The industrialized improvement of whey soy proteins recovery from soy whey wastewater using foam separation was studied.
• A foam separation column with vertical sieve tray internal enhanced the interfacial adsorption in liquid phase.
• The effects of design parameters of the internal on the interfacial adsorption of whey soy proteins were investigated.
• The maximal surface excess in the novel column increased 100.7% compared with that in the column without any internals.

In order to improve the industrialization of whey soy proteins (WSPs) recovery from soy whey wastewater using foam separation, a novel foam separation column was developed using the vertical sieve tray (VST) as an internal in the liquid phase. The effects of the design parameters of the VST internal on the adsorption properties of WSPs were evaluated. The design parameters of the VST internal included the number of trays in the VST internal, the tray spacing and the number of vertical sieve caps in each tray. The adsorption properties of WSPs included the bubble diameter, the adsorbed mass flux and the surface excess. The results showed that the novel column significantly intensified the adsorption properties of WSPs. The maximal surface excess of WSPs was obtained at the initial WSPs concentration of 0.3 g/L, the number of trays in the VST internal of 5, the tray spacing of 60 mm and the number of vertical sieve caps in each tray of 4 and it increased 100.7% compared with the foam column without any internals in the liquid phase.

Bubble motion in a foam separation column with the vertical sieve tray internal.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide