A new type of foam fractionation column with spiral internals named as the spiral column was designed for enhancing the foam phase drainage.The column without spiral internals was used as the comparison column and the bovine serum albumin (BSA)was used as the model aqueous solution.The effects of liquid volume
the initial concentration of BSA
superficial gas velocity and the initial pH on enrichment ratio and the recovery of BSA were investigated.The experimental results showed that the spiral column decreased the internal liquid flow resistance among bubbles
enhanced separation of bubbles from the internal liquid among the bubbles and effectively improved the concentration ratio of BSA.The enrichment ratio of BSA by the spiral column was 15.3
which was 2.5 times that of BSA by the comparison column under the conditions of liquid volume 600 ml
the initial concentration of BSA 0.2 g·L-1
superficial gas velocity 18.4 m·h-1 and initial pH 6.2.Therefore
it was very important for the application of foam separation technique to the industrial production for developing the new type of foam fractionation column with the spiral structure.