Professor of Chemical Engineering, Emeritus 
Education
B.S.E., Math and ChE, University of Michigan 1961, 1962
M.S.E., ChE, University of Michigan, 1963
Ph.D., ChE, Case Western Reserve University, 1967
Contact Information
Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Vanderbilt University
VU Station B, Box 351604
Nashville, TN 37235-1604
Phone: (615) 322-2441
FAX: (615) 343-7951
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Research
Research is being carried out in the area of separating proteins in the laboratory by bubble and foam fractionation processes. These processes are promising engineering tools for protein concentration and separation because they are simple, inexpensive and can be readily scaled-up from laboratory size to commercial size equipment. Such on-line protein separation processes, when combined with protein- producing reactors (such as fermenters), have much potential for reducing the cost of protein recovery in the pharmaceutical and food industries. One of the problems with foam fractionation, however, is that the bubbles required in the process can denature some biologically active proteins, such as enzymes. Under extreme conditions (e.g., low and high pH), proteins can lose their desired structure and function. The actual degree of denaturation depends on the type of protein and the local environmental conditions within the bubble/foam separator. U.S. industrial enzyme market (not including pharmaceutical proteins and enzymes) valued at $370 million in 1996 is projected to rise at a 6.4% growth rate to $685 million in 2006 (Gen. Eng. News, February 1, 1997, pp 14/30).
Models which include both the bulk liquid (bubble phase) and foam phase characteristics are being developed and compared with experimental data in order to optimize the recovery process for single and binary enzyme systems. What is fundamentally novel here is that the generally accepted models (protein concentration as a function of position in the column) developed from transport and material balances and surface equilibrium considerations are generally left with the fundamental parameters, hydrophobicity and surface tension, lumped with the boundary conditions and enzyme activity. We are evaluating those parameters in terms of the engineering control variables, pH, the initial protein concentration and superficial gas velocity to actually predict (and correlate over a wide range) the amount of active protein product recovered. This predictive model, which also includes the initial protein concentration and the gas velocity explicitly, is being optimized with respect to the initial protein concentration, gas velocity and pH for several single and binary systems.
Selected Publications
Modeling a Batch Foam Fractionation Process, (with C.B. Neely, J. Eiamwat, L. Du, V. Loha and A. Prokop), Biologia, Bratislava, Section on Cellular and Molecular Biology, Vol. 56, No. 6 (2001), pp. 583-589.
Effect of Denaturation by Pre-Heating on the Foam Fractionation Behavior of Ovalbumin, (with L. Du and A. Prokop), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science–, Vol. 248, No. 2 (April 2, 2002), pp. 487-492.
“Downstream Processing of Proteins Using Foam Fractionation,” (with C.C. Santana and L. Du) in Downstream Processing Section, No. E6-58-02-06. H.W. Doelle, ed., in Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, Eolss Publishers Co., Ltd., Oxford, UK (2002).
“Foam Fractionation of a Dilute Solution of Bovine Lactoferrin,” (with J. Noel and A. Prokop), Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, M. Finkelstein, B. H. Davison and J.D. McMillan, eds. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vols. 98/100 (Spring, 2002), pp. 395-402.
“Effect of Bubble Size on Foam Fractionation of Albumin,” (with L. Du and A. Prokop), Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, M. Finkelstein, B. H. Davison and J.D. McMillan, eds. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vols. 98/100 (Spring, 2002), pp. 1075-1091.
“Kudzu (Pueraria lobata), a Valuable Potential Commercial Resource: Food, Paper, Textiles and Chemicals,” (with L.J. Parks and A. Prokop), Chapter 16 in Pueraria: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, W.M. Keung, ed; Taylor and Francis, New York (2002).
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Faculty and Research 
