Intensification of mass transfer in aqueous two-phase systems.

A novel technique which intensifies conventional aqueous two-phase extraction by conversion of dispersed phase into colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) has been developed for extraction of an enzyme. In the present work, amyloglucosidase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucohydrolase) was extracted using a polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate-water system. The lighter phase, i.e., polyethylene glycol (PEG) rich phase, was converted into CGAs which were then dispersed into a salt rich phase. The effect of type of surfactant and its concentration, dispersed phase velocity, phase composition, and type of sparger on the dispersed phase mass transfer coefficient was investigated. The results suggests 9-16 times higher values of mass transfer coefficient compared to spray column. The multiorifice sparger at concentrations of 0.33 g/L of cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride yielded best results.