L-asparaginase (LA) is an enzyme used as a biopharmaceutical for the treatment of acute
lymphoblastic leukemia. LA can be produced via fermentation and its purification usually
comprises ion exchange chromatography, which is often preceded by precipitation with
salts as a first pre-chromatographic step. However, this purification strategy result in
low yields and purity, requires long processing times, while leading to a consequent
increase of the process costs. Therefore, the demand for new cost-effective purification
processes play now a priority role. In this work silica-based supported ionic liquids (SILs)
are investigated as an alternative technology to purify LA from the complex
fermentation medium from Bacillus subtillis. The concentration of the extract from the
fermentation, material/ extract from fermentation ratio and contact time effects in the
purity and yield of LA were optimized. With this strategy, process costs, energy
consumed, and waste generated, may be significantly decreased, which may lead to this
biopharmaceutical price decrease and wider application.publishe
