Preparation of CO2 responsive cellulose composite adsorbent and its application in protein separation

The separation of the proteins is of great theoretical and practical importance for biotechnological application. Considering the requirement of non-destructive separation, the stimulus–response method is an alternative to the separation of protein. In this work, a cellulose-based composite with CO 2 stimulus–response property is prepared by a simple coprecipitation of poly ( N , N ˊ-diethylamino ethyl methacrylate)- co -poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PDH) and cellulose mixture solution. Subsequently, these composites as the adsorption medium are used to separate the bovine serum albumin (BSA, as the model protein) from solution through stimulus–response course (by CO 2 /N 2 alternation). The results indicate that the ratio of the copolymers/cellulose composite have an obvious effect on the separation of BSA. The average maximum adsorption capacity can get to 562.6 mg/g, and the composites exhibits good adsorption/desorption cycling characteristics. After the composite materials are cycled for three times, the adsorption capacity can still decrease to 300 mg/g. Due to its high adsorption capacity and low preparation cost, the composite is expected to be widely used in industry.