Research

Membrane fouling (decrease in membrane permeability) is mainly caused by polysaccharides and proteins produced by microorganisms. However, it is still unclear which polysaccharides and proteins play an important role in that mechanism, and efficient methods to control membrane fouling has yet to be developed. In this study, we accumulated fouling polysaccharides, purified them by lectin affinity chromatography, and then conducted partial hydrolysis and MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. By comparing the peaks detected by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis with the database, we have enabled estimation of the structure of the polysaccharide and the microorganism from which it originated. We have also succeeded in separating proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis after purifying the membrane fouling material, enabling the reading of the amino acid sequences of the cut-out spots. It is also possible to estimate the structure and origin of the protein by comparing it with the database.