Abstract

SILVA, Luis Henrique Mendes da  and  LOH, Watson. Aqueous two-phase systems: fundamentals and applications for partitioning/purification of proteins. Quím. Nova [online]. 2006, vol.29, n.6, pp. 1345-1351. ISSN 0100-4042.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422006000600033.

By the year 2005 the world biochemical market will reach an estimated $ 100 billion and separation processes are a vital link between lab discoveries and the fulfillment of this commercialization potential. The practical application of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) to extraction processes has been exploited for several years for the recovery of biological products. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in an extensive presence of the technique in commercial processes. In this paper a critical overview of the fundamental thermodynamic properties related to formation of aqueous two-phase systems and their application to extraction and purification of bioparticules is presented.

Keywords : aqueous two phase system; proteins; biotechnology.