Effect of liquid pulsation on protein fractionation using ultrafiltration processes

The present study consists of an experimental evaluation of an ultrafiltration (UF) module for protein fractionation using pulsations. A flat-plate ultrafilter equipped with a ladder-like flow deflector is used to perform partial separation of gamma-globulins from albumin in bovine plasma. The results of two separate sets of experiments are reported in which two different kinds of pulsations, i.e. retentate side flow pulsation and transmembrane pressure pulsation, are employed. In the case of a single protein solution (bovine serum albumin), vortex wave mixing produces a marked reduction in sieving coefficient, and hence causes concentration of the protein solution. When bovine plasma is ultrafiltered, the passage of both gamma-globulins and albumin is highly restricted, This problem is tackled by the application of transmembrane pressure pulsation which leads to enhanced selectivity of the ultrafiltration membrane for the albumin protein.