Application of magnetic agarose support in liquid magnetically stabilized fluidized bed for protein adsorption

A novel magnetic agarose support (MAS) was fabricated for application in a liquid magnetically stabilized fluidized bed (MSFB). It was produced by water-in-oil emulsification method using a mixture of agarose solution and nanometer-sized superparamagnetic Fe3O4 particles as the aqueous phase. The MAS showed good superparamagnetic responsiveness in a magnetic field. A reactive triazine dye, Cibacron blue 3GA (CB), was coupled to the gel to prepare a CB-modified magnetic agarose support (CB-MAS) for protein adsorption. Lysozyme was used as a model protein to test the adsorption equilibrium and kinetic behavior of the CB-MAS. The dependence of bed expansion in the MSFB with a transverse magnetic field on liquid velocity and magnetic field intensity was investigated. Liquid-phase dispersion behavior in the MSFB was examined by measurements of residence time distributions and compared with that obtained in packed and expanded beds. Dynamic lysozyme adsorption in the MSFB was also compared with those in packed and expanded beds. The dynamic binding capacity at 10% breakthrough was estimated at 55.8 mg/mL in the MSFB, higher than that in the expanded bed (31.1 mg/mL) at a liquid velocity of 45 cm/h. The results indicate that the CB-MAS is promising for use in liquid MSFB for protein adsorption.