Gas-assisted magnetic separation for the purification of proteins in batch systems

• Gas-assisted magnetic separation (GAMS) method for separating proteins was investigated.
• The method combined magnetic separation with flotation.
• High separation rate and good recovery rate were achieved under the optimal conditions.
• High recovery was obtained by adjusting initial solution pH in GAMS process.
• Large-scale recovery of protein-loaded magnetic particles would become possible.

In this paper, gas-assisted magnetic separation (GAMS), a technique that combines magnetic separation with flotation, was investigated for the potential large-scale separation of proteins. The GAMS process includes adsorption of target proteins and magnetic separation to recover protein-loaded magnetic particles from the dilute biosuspension with the assistance of bubbles. Microsized ethylenediamine-functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) superparamagnetic microspheres (MPMs) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were used as a model system. The feasibility of GAMS for capturing BSA-loaded MPMs from an appropriate medium was shown. High recovery of BSA-loaded MPMs was obtained by simple adjustment of the initial solution pH without extra detergents and antifoaming agents. The GAMS conditions were consistent with the adsorption conditions, and no proteins were desorbed from the MPMs during this process. Under the optimal conditions, the separation rate and recovery percentage reached 410 mL/min and 98% in 0.61 min, respectively. Conformational changes of BSA during the GAMS process were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectrometry.

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