Investigadores del ANL desarrollan un proceso innovador basado en xerogeles para recuperar bioproductos

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Tipo de entrada: NOTICIA.

Investigadores del ANL (Argonne National Laboratory, un centro multidisciplinario de investigación científica y de ingeniería ubicado en Lemont, Illinois) ha desarrollado un innovador proceso de separación basado en un tipo de sólidos adsorbentes, conocidos como xerogeles. Una entrada reciente del Blog BIOPROSE (“ANL Researchers Pioneer Innovative Approach to Recover Bioproducts”, Meltem Urgun-Demirtas, 25/7/2019) presenta este nuevo enfoque que podría convertirse en una alternativa para los procesos actuales de separación de bioproductos (centrifugación, extracción, destilación...). A continuación, resumo algunos de los aspectos más destacados de la publicación.

Figura 1. Adsorbentes nanoestructurados (Foto: Phil Laible, ANL)

Definición de xerogels: geles sólidos, que se preparan mediante secado lento a temperatura ambiente con una contracción sin restricciones (Czarnobaj, 2008).
En el enfoque del ANL, el xerogel se forma mediante la polimerización de materiales basados en silicio alrededor de una plantilla nanoestructurada. Posee apariencia de esponja densa. Se puede plegar y comprimir, pero se recupera, conservando su forma y estructura.

El adsorbente de xerogel de ANL, directamente incorporado al proceso de fermentación:
- mejora el rendimiento ya que las concentraciones de bioproducto nunca se acumulan a niveles apreciables;
- elimina continuamente el bioproducto, reduciendo el volumen de biorreactor que se necesita y permitiendo que la etapa de fermentación se realice de manera continua (adsorbiendo hasta ocho veces su masa);
- recupera bioproductos en alta pureza (casi 100% de selectividad);
- elimina la necesidad de insumos adicionales (detergentes, disolventes, ácidos, bases) requeridos para la desemulsión en los enfoques tradicionales.

Los xerogeles pueden sintetizarse usando diferentes mezclas de materiales de partida y adaptar sus propiedades para permitir la recuperación de muchos tipos de bioproductos diferentes. Se pueden reutilizar durante decenas de ciclos en los biorreactores. Una simple compresión mecánica de los adsorbentes permite la liberación de bioproductos de alta pureza.

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