In March 2019, iTN completed the EUROPURE MechanoSort sub-project, an ERDF-funded research project whose aim was to provide a continuous process for separating cell nuclei from animal tissue for further processing in biotechnology using traditional mechanical process engineering processes.

With this sub-project, the iTN process development project group left its field of activity in the area of recycling and soil treatment and undertook an exciting excursion into the field of bioprocess engineering.

After characterizing the biogenic materials (Figure 1), various processes for density separation were investigated. A hydrocyclone was designed and manufactured for this special case in collaboration with the company EUROIMMUN in Rennersdorf for turbulent hydrocrossflow sorting. Various laboratory centrifuges were tested as part of the separation in the centrifugal field. At the end of the developments, a continuous process in a decanter centrifuge is now available. The results of the various process stages are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 for the first and third purification steps. The product pellet 3 is then further purified and processed by the project partners.

A particular technical challenge was the transfer from the laboratory scale with volumes of a few milliliters to a scale in which volumes of several liters are processed.

A Lemitec decanter centrifuge (Figure 4) is now available in the iTN laboratory. This can process volume flows of 30 l/h and the dimensions and parameters of the centrifuge correspond to the specifications for technical use, so that the results obtained in the laboratory can be transferred into practice. The project funds were also used to purchase a laser diffraction spectrometer with a wet dispersion unit and a flow potentiometer. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Technical Purchasing department and the Project Administration department for their constructive and goal-oriented cooperation.

The sub-project is part of the joint project with the Molecular Biotechnology Group of the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences and the company EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG.