Natural Biodegradable Flocculants Derived From Hemoglobin

The long-term goal of this work is to develop and commercialize a cost-efficient biodegradable flocculant from hemoglobin precipitate obtained as a by-product of the VRM Labs manufacturing process. Specific objective of this Phase I proposal is to develop a cost-efficient lab scale process for re-solubilization of hemoglobin precipitate and evaluate its efficacy as a flocculant. Completion of this objective will allow us to assess the feasibility of commercialization of this USDA-owned technology and take steps towards its licensing from USDA. The goal of the follow up Phase II project will be development of a scaled up process for production of hemoglobin suitable for applications as a flocculant.The following three Specific Aims are proposed to demonstrate the technical feasibility of production of a flocculant from precipitated hemoglobin:1) Development of a cost-efficient process for resolubilization of precipitated hemoglobin. We will improve the hemoglobin solubilization process
developed during our preliminary studies to increase hemoglobin concentration in the final product and reduce concentrations of contaminants (zinc and EDTA). As the outcome of Aim 1 we expect t prepare a formulation with hemoglobin concentration of 100 g/L or higher, zinc content of 2,000 ppm or lower, and EDTA content of 4,000 ppm or lower.2) Demonstration of the efficacy of re-solubilized hemoglobin as a flocculant and comparison of its efficacy to that of currently available flocculants. We will assess the efficacy of re-solubilized hemoglobin as a flocculant in a number of model systems and compare it to the efficacy of some current synthetic and biodegradable flocculants.3) Testing susceptibility of re-solubilized hemoglobin to microbial contamination. Possible microbiological contamination could affect the shelf life and flocculation performance of re-solubilized hemoglobin, as well as the safety of the treated water. We hypothesize that our product will be resistant to
microbial contamination due to the presence of two zinc and EDTA, which are known for their broad range antimicrobial properties. To verify the validity of this hypothesis, we propose to test susceptibility of re-solubilized hemoglobin to challenge by two most important blood-borne pathogens, E. Coli and S. Enteridis. If antimicrobial properties are confirmed, the study will be expanded to cover more microbial species at the Phase II stage. If the product fails to show antimicrobial properties, a commercially available antibacterial agent will be added to re-solubilized hemoglobin to prevent microbial contamination.In general, VRM Labs team will be responsible for completion of the Aims 1 and 3, and ARS team will be responsible for completion of the Aim 2.