Abstract
In the chemical and biochemical manufacturing industry, separation processes are amongst the most energy-demanding processes, accounting for 50% of total operating costs.1, 2 Redox-mediated electrodialysis (redox-ED) has attracted attention as a process-intensified method for resource recovery, particularly selective recovery of organic molecules such as proteins and organic acids.2, 3 By replacing water-splitting reactions with reversible redox reactions, pH-sensitive biomolecules can be electrochemically recovered with reduced overall energy consumption. We demonstrated the valorization of proteins from whey waste via the redox-ED platform.2 Our system treated 99% of salt from the whey solution within a single step and recovered over 98% of various whey proteins (e.g., beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin). The preliminary techno-economic analysis confirmed the economic viability of redox-ED with 51−73% lower energy consumption compared to conventional ED. Moreover, we mitigated the inherent limitation selectivity of ion-exchange membranes in discriminating among the same charged species (e.g., cations and anions), by employing a layer-by-layer (LBL) membrane functionalization approach.3 This LBL membrane modification enabled the recovery of organic acids from a multicomponent mixture, where there is a mixture of neutral and charged species. By tailoring the physicochemical properties of IEMs through the LBL polyelectrolyte layers, we achieved complete retention of succinic acid produced in the fermentation process, while enhancing the overall flux for inorganic ions.3 Redox-ED with LBL-functionalized membrane demonstrated the continuous up-concentration of succinate alongside the isolation of unreacted sugar and inorganic ions, opening avenues for modular multicomponent separations in biomanufacturing processes. References (1) Kim, N.; Jeon, J.; Chen, R.; Su, X. Electrochemical separation of organic acids and proteins for food and biomanufacturing. Chemical Engineering Research and Design 2022, 178, 267-288. (2) Kim, N.; Jeon, J.; Elbert, J.; Kim, C.; Su, X. Redox-mediated electrochemical desalination for waste valorization in dairy production. Chemical Engineering Journal 2022, 428, 131082. (3) Kim, N.; Lee, J.; Su, X. Precision Tuning of Highly Selective Polyelectrolyte Membranes for Redox‐Mediated Electrochemical Separation of Organic Acids. Advanced Functional Materials 2023, 33 (12), 2211645.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
