Procion Blue H-5R functionalized cellulose membrane with specific removal of bilirubin

The specific removal of bilirubin is essential to cure hyperbilirubinemia. In this study, cellulose membranes were prepared by a phase inversion technique with surface functionalized Procion Blue H-5R (PB) for bilirubin adsorption. The chemical structures and morphologies of membranes were characterized by FITR, XPS and SEM. The immobilized PB amounts of membranes were investigated. Moreover the effects of immobilized PB amounts, initial concentration of bilirubin, NaCl concentration, pH value, recycle numbers and BSA concentration on adsorption capability of PB-immobilized cellulose membrane to bilirubin. Results showed that PB was immobilized onto the cellulose membrane surfaces and reached a maximum amount of 230 mg/g membrane. The bilirubin adsorption isotherm fitted Langmuir model well. Furthermore, the PB-immobilized membrane could specifically adsorb bilirubin in BSA/bilirubin mixed solution and bilirubin adsorption capacity reached 26 mg/g at pH 9.5. The membrane showed excellent reusability that the adsorption capability of bilirubin decreased 1.3% after 3 adsorption–desorption cycles. This work indicated that the Procion Blue H-5R can be expected as a ligand for specific removal of bilirubin.