MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
Nat Commun. 2023 Aug 11;14(1):4866. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40497-2.
The lignocellulosic biorefinery industry can be an important contributor to achieving global carbon net zero goals. However, low valorization of the waste lignin severely limits the sustainability of biorefineries. Using a hydrothermal reaction, we have converted sulfuric acid lignin (SAL) into a water-soluble hydrothermal SAL (HSAL). Here, we show the improvement of HSAL on plant nutrient bioavailability and growth through its metal chelating capacity. We characterize HSAL's high ratio of phenolic hydroxyl groups to methoxy groups and its capacity to chelate metal ions. Application of HSAL significantly promotes root length and plant growth of both monocot and dicot plant species due to improving nutrient bioavailability. The HSAL-mediated increase in iron bioavailability is comparable to the well-known metal chelator ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Therefore, HSAL promises to be a sustainable nutrient chelator to provide an attractive avenue for sustainable utilization of the waste lignin from the biorefinery industry.
木质纤维素生物炼制工业可以为实现全球碳净零目标做出重要贡献。然而，废木质素的低附加值严重限制了生物炼制厂的可持续性。我们使用水热反应将硫酸木质素（SAL）转化为水溶性水热 SAL（HSAL）。在这里，我们通过其金属螯合能力展示了 HSAL 对植物养分生物利用度和生长的改善。我们对 HSAL 中酚羟基与甲氧基的高比例及其螯合金属离子的能力进行了表征。HSAL 的应用由于提高了养分生物利用度，显著促进了单子叶和双子叶植物的根长和植物生长。HSAL 介导的铁生物利用度增加可与知名的金属螯合剂乙二胺四乙酸相媲美。因此，HSAL 有望成为一种可持续的养分螯合剂，为生物炼制厂废木质素的可持续利用提供了有吸引力的途径。
