Abstract
In integrated bioprocessing applications, expanded bed adsorption (EBA) chromatography presents an opportunity to harvest biomolecules directly from the crude feedstock. However, unfavorable biomass interactions with adsorbent usually leads to fouling, which reduces its protein binding capacity as it alters column hydrodynamics and binding site availability. In this work, a detailed study on biomass adhesion behavior of four different industrially relevant microorganisms on 26 different, most commonly occurring adsorbent surfaces with varying degrees of surface energy and surface charge has been conducted. The results showed the derivation of a relative “stickiness” factor for every microorganism, which further classifies each organism based on their general degree of adhesion to surfaces with respect to one another. The obtained results can help to better understand the effect of biomass homogenization on biomass–adsorbent interactions in EBA. The data of surface energy and charge for the surfaces investigated in this work can be used to calculate the stickiness factor of other microorganisms of interest and may assist in the development of novel adsorbent materials for EBA chromatography.
Highlights
Interfacial interaction of a microorganism with its surrounding can happen in various ways
Selection of the representative biomass types In this study, it was important to consider a pool of microorganisms that are commonly used in industrial biomolecule productions and that represents wider diversity in terms of surface properties
Four different cell types with distinguishable physico-chemical characteristics were selected for the study: (a) Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium with the length of approximately 1–1.5 μm; (b) Bacillus subtilis, a Grampositive rod-shaped bacterium approximately 2–3 μm length; (c) Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast, most studied eukaryotic model ovoid in shape and up to 10 μm in diameter, and (d) Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which is the most common mammalian host and is approximately 14–15 μm in diameter
Summary
Interfacial interaction of a microorganism with its surrounding can happen in various ways. It can either be reversible or non-reversible, and the process usually advances in multiple stages. A biofilm micro-cluster consist of approximately 10–15% of cells and up to 75–90% of extracellular polymeric substrate matrix, where numbers may vary depending on the species involved (Costerton 1987). Fouling can be defined as the adhesion of unwanted material on functional surfaces that can alter their function. The most common foulants are microorganisms, biological particles, biofilms, or extracellular polymeric substrates.
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