Microorganism immobilization
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsAlicia L. Compere, William L. Griffith
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Abstract
Live metabolically active microorganisms are immobilized on a solid support by contacting particles of aggregate material with a water dispersible polyelectrolyte such as gelatin, crosslinking the polyelectrolyte by reacting it with a crosslinking agent such as glutaraldehyde to provide a crosslinked coating on the particles of aggregate material, contacting the coated particles with live microorganisms and incubating the microorganisms in contact with the crosslinked coating to provide a coating of metabolically active microorganisms. The immobilized microorganisms have continued growth and reproduction functions.
Claims4
A process for producing an aggregate support material coated with a crosslinked coating, said coating having live, metabolically active microorganisms attached thereto, comprising the steps of:
- contacting a particle of aggregate material with a water dispersible gelatin;
- crosslinking said gelatin by reacting it with a glutaraldehyde to provide a crosslinked coating on said particle of aggregate material;
- then contacting said coated particle with live microorganisms;
- and
- then incubating said microorganisms in contact with said crosslinked coating to provide a coating having metabolically active microorganisms attached thereto, said microorganisms having continued growth and reproductive functions.
An aggregate support material coated with a glutaraldehyde crosslinked gelatin coating having live metabolically active microorganisms attached thereto, said microorganisms having continued growth and reproductive functions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.