Effect of the method of agitation on the accumulation of protective antigen in cultures of Bacillus anthracis.
Accumulation of protective antigen was essentially independent of culture volume, provided the organisms were kept in suspension by stirring. Agitation by orbited shaking was unsatisfactory.
Large-Scale Production of Protective Antigen of Bacillus anthracis in Anaerobic Cultures
A production-proving test was described for the preparation, by the anaerobic culture method, of large volumes of culture filtrate containing immunologically potent protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis. The process consisted of the anaerobic culture of a selected production strain in a chemically defined medium. The culture was then clarified and sterilized by filtration through sintered-glass filters. The sterile culture filtrate was adsorbed onto a preformed aluminum hydroxide gel, and the stabilized gel-antigen complex was concentrated. The final product had high immunizing potency, as shown by both in vivo and in vitro assays, and was well tolerated in man. Stability of the product to accelerated aging was good, and storage at 4 C for 1 year caused only a minor loss in protective activity. Large volumes of the highly antigenic gel-adsorbed protective antigen were readily produced by the method described.
Effects of the mineral phase and valence of vanadium on vanadium extraction from stone coal
The influence of roasting on the leaching rate and valence of vanadium was evaluated during vanadium extraction from stone coal. Vanadium in stone coal is hard to be leached and the leaching rate is less than 10% when the raw ore is leached by 4 mol/L H2SO4 at 90°C for 2 h. After the sample is roasted at 900°C for 2 h, the leaching rate of vanadium reaches the maximum, and more than 70% of vanadium can be leached. The crystal of vanadium-bearing mica minerals decomposes and the content of V(V) increases with the rise of roasting temperature from 600 to 900°C, therefore the leaching rate of vanadium increases significantly with the decomposition of the mica minerals. Some new phases, anorthite for example, form when the roasting temperature reaches 1000°C. A part of vanadium may be enwrapped in the sintered materials and newly formed phases, which may impede the oxidation of low valent vanadium and make the leaching rate of vanadium drop dramatically. The leaching rate of vanadium is not only determined by the valence state of vanadium but also controlled by the decomposition of vanadium-bearing minerals and the existence state of vanadium to a large extent.