Tribocharging Mechanism and its Application in Bioprocess Separation and On-line Process Monitoring

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There are numerous drivers in the context of global challenges paramount of which is increasing world issues concerning food security and malnutrition. Layered on these challenges is the potential impact of climate change which may have a negative impact on agriculture affecting crops, livestock production, and fisheries. Rapid world population growth and the inefficiency of meat and dairy production have led to the increasing demand for plant protein, high protein food products, and better processing methods aimed at retaining their nutritional value. Plant protein is an environmentally conservative protein source that has economic advantages over more expensive meat and dairy based proteins. The relatively well-balanced amino acid profile of plant proteins makes them attractive potential sources for human nutrition. Plant protein is added to a broad range of food and beverage products to enhance their nutritional value and functional properties such as foaming capacity and stability, emulsifying activity, and gelling ability. Starch is used as a thickening and gelling agent in food products and is an additive to non-food products, such as biodegradable detergents, cosmetic and healthcare products, biomedical polymers and nanocomposites mostly due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Plant-derived or natural fibers have also attracted a great deal of attention particularly its application in fiber reinforced polymer composites due to their low density and high strength, elastic modulus, and environmental advantages compared to synthetic fibers.***Fractionation of protein crops into their major components (protein, starch, and fiber), still relies on conventional technologies, such as aqueous extraction under alkaline or acidic conditions, followed by isoelectric precipitation, neutralization, and drying. Such processing conditions can negatively affect the native state of plant macromolecules, reducing the quality and functionality of the ingredients. Furthermore, these aqueous extraction methods generate large volumes of whey-like effluents with relatively high quantities of proteinaceous material, which can result in water quality issues. ***The overall objective of this research is to develop alternative separation methods that preserve the native state of plant macromolecules, and at the same time are environmentally clean and economically feasible. The focus of the proposed research is to apply the principles of triboelectrification to fractionate protein crops, energy crops, and agro-based resources into their constituent fractions. **