Preparation of Cation-Exchange Particle Designed for High-Speed Collection of Proteins by Radiation-Induced Graft Polymerization

Abstract

A cation-exchange polymer brush was immobilized onto a polyethylene-based particle with an average diameter of 35 μm by radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and subsequent sulfonation with sodium sulfite. A lysozyme solution was forced to flow through a bed (height 2 cm, cross-sectional area 0.61 cm²) charged with the resultant cation-exchange particles at a space velocity ranging from 500 to 2300 h^-1. From a viewpoint of equilibrium binding capacity and elution percentage of lysozyme, the dose of electron beam and the degree of GMA grafting were optimized to be 200 kGy and 100%, respectively. The bed exhibited a constant dynamic binding capacity of lysozyme 14 mg⁄mL irrespective of space velocity due to negligible diffusional mass-transfer resistance.