Propiedades de intercambio iónico de Macrocystis pyrifera durante la pre-extracción ácida, para la extracción de alginatos.

Abstract

The acid pre-extraction step of the alginate extraction process for Macrocystis pyrifera follows first-order kinetics; the percentage of alginates increases with reaction time as a function of the calcium ions being exchanged. The reaction rate depends the flow velocity in a continuous system; use of this system reduces the treatment required to a few minutes. Hydrochloric acid 0.2N was found to be the best concentration for this step. No differences in alginate yield were detected by using different stirring speeds and only slight differences were detected by using unwashed algae. Acid solution prepared with sea water was found to diminish the percentage of ions exchanged and cause a reversible reaction. We conclude that alginate yield, using sea water, diminishes without definite relation to any of the variables employed so that optimum treatment for a maximum yield is unpredictable.