Quasi-continuous production and separation of lysozyme crystals on an integrated laboratory plant

June 02, 2021

Timo Dobler (1), Benjamin Radel (1), Marco Gleiss (1), Hermann Nirschl (1)
Crystals, 11, Issue 6, June 2021: 713. DOI: 10.3390/cryst11060713


Keywords

crystallization; filtration; protein crystals; integrated process design; µCT imaging


Abstract

Vacuum crystallization with subsequent solid–liquid separation is a suitable method to produce and separate the temperature-sensitive protein lysozyme. The conventional process is performed batch-wise and on different devices, which in turn leads to disadvantages in terms of energy efficiency, contamination risk and process control. This publication therefore focuses on the application of the previously multistage process to a quasi-continuous, integrated single plant. The transfer occurs successively and starts with the substitution of the batch vessel by a process chamber. Afterwards, the filtration scale is increased and the formerly deployed membrane is replaced by an industrial filter cloth. Based on the results of these experiments, the complete process chain is successfully transferred to an integrated laboratory plant.


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Author Affiliation

(1) Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics (MVM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 8, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.