Abstract
Chitosan membranes crosslinked with glutaraldehayde that contained chiral environment were prepared. The chitosan membranes were characterized using FTIR and swelling index measurements. Their swelling index in water ranged from 100 to 70%, depending on the crosslinking time. The separation of D- and L-isomers of tryptophan was achieved through a pressure driven membrane separation process, using the self-supporting crosslinked chitosan membranes. The chiral separation performance of the membranes depended strongly on the swelling index of the membranes and the separation conditions such as concentration of feed solutions and different operating pressures. Especially when a chitosan membrane with a swelling index of 70% was used, almost complete optical resolution of D- and L-tryptophan was obtained ; enantiomeric excess (ee %) of 97.92% and flux of 2.26 g/㎡$.$h.
