Extraction of surfactin from fermentation broth with n-hexane in microporous PVDF hollow fibers: Significance of membrane adsorption

In order to avoid foaming behavior and the formation of stable emulsions in traditional extraction, non-dispersive extraction of surfactin from the fermentation broth of Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21332 culture with n-hexane was studied in microporous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, pore size 0.2 μm) hollow fiber module. In this work, the broth was pretreated by acid precipitation and the precipitate was then dissolved in NaOH solution, and the treated broth was passed through the lumen side of the module and n-hexane was flowed across the shell side. Experiments were performed at a fixed pH of 8.0 and a flow rate of both phases of 2.5 mL min^-1 but at different surfactin concentrations (300-3000 mg L^-1). Under the conditions studied, it was shown that surfactin was adsorbed onto the surface of the fibers, instead of being extracted by n-hexane and transported through the pores of the fibers into bulk n-hexane phase. The adsorption capacity was determined and the adsorption dynamics was analyzed. The purity of surfactin desorbed from the fibers with ethanol was found to be higher than that obtained after solvent extraction with n-hexane.