Page 304 - Biosystems Engineering

CHAPTER 9

Bioseparation

Processes

Ahindra Nag
Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology
Karagpur, India

9.1 Introduction
Bioseparation processes involve recovery, isolation, purification, and
polishing of products synthesized by biotechnological processes.
Bioseparation processes are necessary for the following reasons:
1. Reduction in bulk and removal of specific impurities
2. Enrichment of target product
3. Enhancement of product stability
4. Achievement of product specifications
5. Prevention of product degradation
6. Prevention of catalysis other than the type desired and also
prevention of catalyst poisoning

Bioseparation is largely based on chemical separation processes and
is different from chemical separation as follows:

1. Bioseparation involves large numbers of low-volume products
than chemical processes. For example, monoclonal antibod-
ies are typically present in concentrations of approximately
0.1 mg/mL in mammalian cell culture supernatants.
Hence, large volumes of dilute product streams have to be
processed for obtaining even modest amounts of pure product.
2. Product from bioseparation process should be highly pure as
for prophylactic, diagnostic, and therapeutic purposes, both

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