SBIR-STTR Award

A new method of separation based on transient diffusion coupled with cyclic convection is proposed to reduce the cost of producing biochemicals, especially proteins. Species with diffusivities that differ less than 10 percent can be sharply separated in less than an hour. The new process is potentially attractive for separating delicate chemicals or biochemicals because molecules are processed in their natural solvent environment and are only subjected to gentle shear. There are no temperature, pH, ionic strength, or other intensive variable changes except modest pressure variations which drive the flows. The new method can be batch, continuous, binary, or multicomponent and promises high resolution, flexibility, and concentrated products. The process features laboratory or production applicability, minimal development effort for new applications, and minimal operational labor requirements. A binary, batch separation apparatus will be constructed and operated to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and to obtain quantitative data for separation of pairs and proteins. Through mathematical modeling, the results will be extended to predict separation performance of other process variations.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: Potential commercial applications of the research include separation and purification of biochemicals in production applications and for laboratory analysis.