Facile and effective synthesis of adsorbent - utilization of yeast cells immobilized in sodium alginate beads for the adsorption of phosphorus in aqueous solution

Encapsulating IM7-Displaying Yeast Cells in Calcium Alginate Beads for One-Step Protein Purification and Multienzyme Biocatalysis

There are several commercial chromatographic systems for protein purification; however, development of cost-effective 3H-grade (high yield, high purity, and high activity) purification approaches is highly demanded. Here, we establish a methodology for encapsulating the IM7-displaying yeast cells in calcium alginate beads. Taking advantage of this biomaterial-based affinity chromatography, rapid and cost-effective purification of proteins with over 90% purity in a single step is achieved. Moreover, our system enables coating the multienzyme complex to produce reusable immobilized cells for efficient cascade biotransformation. Together, the present method has great application potentials not only in the laboratory but also in the industry for production of protein products as well as biocatalysis.

Kinetics of a fixed bed reactor with immobilized microorganisms for the removal of organic matter and phosphorous

The biodegradation of domestic wastewater contaminants has been carried out using microorganisms immobilized in sodium alginate gel (Alg-Na). A fixed bed reactor with immobilized microorganisms was used for the treatment of domestic wastewater. A wastewater pretreatment was carried out to remove the larger particulate matter, which consisted of a reactor packed with different materials (anthracite, zeolite, and activated carbon). Later, a second reactor packed with balls with immobilized microorganisms was used to eliminate organic matter and nutrients. 2.5% w/v of Alg-Na was used as a support to immobilize the microorganisms. According to the results, a total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 94.26% and 78.25% was obtained, respectively. In addition, the degradation rate for both organic matter and phosphorous was studied by using the kinetic model for fix bed reactor. © 2020 Water Environment Federation PRACTITIONER POINTS: Phosphorous and organic matter removal by adsorption and immobilized microorganisms. High removal efficiency of phosphorous and organic matter was found. An innovative wastewater treatment alternative is proposed. Kinetic model for fixed bed reactor is also proposed for scaling-up purposes.