Membrane filtration performance enhancement, Methods

Most of hydrodynamic methods have focused on increasing the particle back transport from the membrane-liquid interface by increasing the shear rate and the flow instability in the boundary layer. These techniques include secondary flows, spacers and inserts, pulsed flow, high shear rate devices, vibrations, and two-phase flow. The physical methods that are currently been tested to enhance filtration performance of membranes include the application of electric fields and ultrasound. 

FIGURE 8.5 Methods used for performance enhancement of membrane filtration. 

Crystallization. The crystallization procedure is taken from that described by Fujii et For crystallization experiments, the Sulfolobus sp. ferredoxin solution obtained from a preparative Sephadex G-50 gel filtration column (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) is concentrated by pressure filtration through an Amicon YM3 or YMIO membrane at 4° and made to 5 mg/ml in 0.5 M Tris-maleate-NaOH buffer, pH 5.0, containing 1% 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol. Crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis are obtained by a batch method performed under aerobic conditions. Fine-powdered ammonium sulfate is slowly added to 300 p.1 of 5 mg/ml protein solution until the turbidity is observed to persist (1.9-2.1 M). The crystallization solution is stored at 37° in an incubator. Dark brown crystals with appropriate dimensions of 0.3 x 0.3 x 0.5 mm are obtained in 3-5 weeks. Fujii etaO reported that reproducibility of the crystallization is enhanced by seeding a drop of the mother liquor containing microcrystals into the crystallization solution just before the crystallization begins. 

---