Removal of potassium chloride by nanofiltration from ion-exchanged solution containing potassium clavulanate

Bioprocess Biosyst Eng. 2010 Jan;33(1):149-58. doi: 10.1007/s00449-009-0360-7. Epub 2009 Aug 2.

Abstract

In this study, nanofiltration with NF200 membrane was employed to remove KCl from ion-exchanged solutions containing potassium clavulanate. The pore radius of NF200 membrane was estimated to be around 0.39 nm. The effects of operating pressure on separation performance were investigated in a range of 100-400 psig. The influences of cross-flow velocity (0.14-0.70 cm/s), temperature (4-25 degrees C), and feed composition were also investigated. In all experiments, clavulanate rejection showed high levels from 0.91 to 0.99, while chloride rejection ranged from 0.06 to 0.54. In a case at an operating pressure of 50 psig and 25 degrees C, as much as 94% of clavulanate was retained while 94% of chloride was removed, indicating that NF200 membrane was a suitable choice for selectively removing KCl. NF200 membrane also showed a stable performance in the operational stability test with an ion-exchanged solution obtained by treating actual fermentation broth.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Clavulanic Acid / chemistry*
  • Clavulanic Acid / isolation & purification
  • Membranes, Artificial*
  • Potassium Chloride / chemistry*
  • Ultrafiltration / methods

Substances

  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Clavulanic Acid
  • Potassium Chloride