In this study we have investigated the use of flotation and filtration, sin
gly and combined, to enhance the separation of plasmid containing liquors f
rom neutralised lysates with very different levels of solids. Filtration of
crude neutralised lysates, containing roughly 100 g l(-1) solids, through
various diatomaceous earth and cellulose precoat materials was invariably a
ccompanied by severe loss of plasmid through adsorption and/or absorption.
The use of more refined and inert filter aids did not alleviate these probl
ems. The finest filter aid, Celatom FP-1SL, gave the best compromise of fil
trate clarity (solids content of 0.05 g l(-1)) and plasmid purity (71%) and
was selected for further studies involving combined use of flotation and f
iltration. Removing the vast bulk of solids prior to filtration by flotatio
n of the flee and draining of the plasmid liquor beneath, impacted dramatic
ally on the filtration performance. Though systematic reductions in the sol
ids challenge per unit filter area were accompanied by increased flux, elev
ated levels of solids extrusion, chromosomal DNA and protein contamination
were also observed, and losses of plasmid to filter aids were still high. W
e have observed that increasing the scale of operation during lysis and neu
tralisation from 0.3 or 0.6 l to 15 l is accompanied by significant improve
ments in separation of cell debris solids from the plasmid and increased re
coveries of the plasmid containing liquor. At the latter scale, the drained
liquor contained similar to 80% of the plasmid and the solids content was
only 0.2 g l(-1).