Isolation of Aspartic Acid Using Novel Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(l)-lysine) Cryogels

In this study, we report on the synthesis of novel poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(l)-lysine) [poly(HEMA-MAL)] cryogels for the isolation of aspartic acid. Cryogels were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂-adsorption, swelling test, and elemental analysis techniques. The FTIR and elemental analysis results showed successful synthesis of poly(HEMA-MAL)-based polymeric structures. SEM images and N₂ adsorption results indicated the three-dimensional morphology and large surface area of the cryogels. After the synthesis and characterization steps, adsorption performance of these novel cryogels towards l-aspartic acid was evaluated and adsorption capacity was found to be 265.7 ± 3 mg aspartic acid g⁻¹ adsorbent. To show the applicability of our adsorbent design for the isolation of aspartic acid from real samples, adsorption and desorption experiments using lysozyme enzyme were also performed. Our results showed that the proposed cryogel design can be successfully employed for the isolation of amino acids from complex environments. It can be stated that poly(HEMA-MAL)-based cryogels are promising candidates for the isolation of aspartic acid and lysozyme owing to their enhanced performance and specificity, low cost, and high reusability.