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The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes
Cilliers, R. C. 2025. The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/da2f0b19-0db8-4bf6-82be-aa7815f286c7
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614092252938240 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Cilliers, Ryan Christopher |
| author2 | Goosen, N. J. |
| author_browse | Cilliers, Ryan Christopher Goosen, N. J. |
| author_facet | Goosen, N. J. Cilliers, Ryan Christopher |
| author_sort | Cilliers, Ryan Christopher |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Cilliers, R. C. 2025. The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/da2f0b19-0db8-4bf6-82be-aa7815f286c7 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132154 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:32.674Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132154 The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes Cilliers, Ryan Christopher Goosen, N. J. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Ultrafiltration Extraction (Chemistry) Marine algae -- Biotechnology Biomolecules -- Separation Polysaccharides -- Biotechnology UCTD Cilliers, R. C. 2025. The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/da2f0b19-0db8-4bf6-82be-aa7815f286c7 Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Ultrafiltration (UF) offers the advantage of separating polysaccharides based on their molecular size, meaning no solvents are required to separate the various bioactive molecules found in seaweed. However, fouling remains a challenging limitation to membrane technology, as it may significantly hinder operational efficiency. To investigate the feasibility of UF within the context of a solvent-free biorefinery, a crossflow filtration was conducted on an enzymatically treated Ecklonia maxima extract. Alginates, a major foulant, were precipitated using 2% CaCl2 and a sequential filtration occurred through either a 50 kDa or 10 kDa followed by 3 kDa polyethersulfone (PES) Vivaflow filters. The filtrations aimed to evaluate the efficiency of concentrating the polysaccharides laminarin and fucoidan, while also assessing the key operability parameters and the impact of fouling on the membrane performance. The filtrations occurred at a constant crossflow velocity (CFV) until volume reduction factors (VRF) of 2, 4, 6 were reached. The filtrations occurred at a set temperature of 20°C, while the transmembrane pressure (TMP) and flux was monitored. The 10 kDa and 3 kDa membranes were operated at a CFV of 0.54 m.s-1 while the 50 kDa was operated at 0.97 m.s-1. The TMP ranged between 2 - 2.7 bar for the 10 kDa and 1.8 - 2.4 bar for the 50 kDa. Both membranes exhibited similar flux rates, ranging between 43 - 15 LMH. Membrane fouling significantly influenced the performance and Hermia’s and Resistance-in-Series models were applied to characterise the fouling mechanism. The fouling regime of the first stage (10/50 kDa) was more closely related to cake filtration, while the second stage (3 kDa) related to pore blocking. The viscosity of the feed increased from 2.7 cP to a maximum of 23 cP for both the 50 kDa and the 10 kDa, while the permeate viscosity was averaged as 1.08 cP. The components in the feed and permeate were tracked by measuring the total carbohydrates, reducing sugars, total sulfates, laminarin and fucose concentrations. The average molecular weight distribution of the feed and permeate samples was analysed by size exclusion chromatography. This revealed average sized molecules of 8000 kDa, 330 kDa, 10 kDa in the feed. However, majority of the molecules were < 1 kDa throughout all samples. Fucoidan was successfully concentrated during the first stage with only trace amounts being retained by the 3 kDa filter. The seaweed extract showed an increase of 500% for fucose and 800% for organic sulfates. However, laminarin was also concentrated in the first stage. Although a sharp separation between the two stages was not achieved, the filtration process served to be a powerful concentrating tool by dewatering the extract. Further work could investigate different filtration modes such as diafiltration or larger filter sizes to enhance separation efficiency. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2025-05-28T07:39:17Z 2025-05-28T07:39:17Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132154 en Stellenbosch University 193 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Ultrafiltration Extraction (Chemistry) Marine algae -- Biotechnology Biomolecules -- Separation Polysaccharides -- Biotechnology UCTD Cilliers, Ryan Christopher The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title | The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title_full | The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title_fullStr | The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title_short | The concentration and separation of polysaccharides from Ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| title_sort | concentration and separation of polysaccharides from ecklonia maxima extracts using ultrafiltration membranes |
| topic | Ultrafiltration Extraction (Chemistry) Marine algae -- Biotechnology Biomolecules -- Separation Polysaccharides -- Biotechnology UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132154 |
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