Abstract: The present invention is a method for optimizing operating conditions for yield, purity, or selectivity of target species, and/or processing time for crossflow membrane filtration of target species in feed suspensions. This involves providing as input parameters: size distribution and concentration of particles and solutes in the suspension; suspension pH and temperature; physical and operating properties of membranes, and number and volume of reservoirs. The method also involves determining effective membrane pore size distribution; suspension viscosity, hydrodynamics, and electrostatics; pressure-independent permeation flux of the suspension and cake composition; pressure-independent permeation flux for each particle and overall observed sieving coefficient of each target species through cake deposit and pores; solving mass balance equations for all solutes; and iterating the mass balance equation for each solute at all possible permeation fluxes, thereby optimizing operating conditions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for predicting pressure independent permeation flux and target molecule yield in a permeate resulting from crossflow filtration of particles in a poly-disperse suspension, a method for determining packing density of particles at the membrane wall of a poly-dissperse suspension, a method for designing a filtration system for a poly-disperse suspension, a method of selecting operating conditions of a crossflow filtration system for poly-disperse suspensions, and a method of modeling a process for filtration of a poly-disperse suspension using a computer generated program for predicting pressure indendent permeation flux and taret molecule yield.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved microfiltration process, an improved ultrafiltration process, and an improved combination microfiltration processs/ultrafiltration process, all for recovering target molecules from a polydisperse liquid. These processes are particularly useful in recovering proteins from transgenic milk.