ABSTRACT
Separation and purification of biological products present special characteristics and difficulties when compared with separation and purification of other chemical products. The main difference is related to the fact that biological products are, in general, large and unstable molecules diluted in a complex solid-liquid mixture. The first step to be performed in a separation and purification protocol is usually a solid-liquid separation. This separation step can also be used at the end of a separation and purification protocol if the product has been concentrated, e.g., by precipitation or crystallization. In this chapter, some common unit operations used for solid-liquid separation in biotechnological processes are discussed, taking into account the peculiarities of biological particles. These unit operations are centrifugal separation and cake filtration.
