Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, U.K.
Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, U.K.
Environ Sci Technol. 2024 Jun 4;58(22):9714-9722. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.4c00266. Epub 2024 May 23.
Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) are used as catalysts for a diverse range of industrial applications. Currently, Au-NPs are synthesized chemically, but studies have shown that plants fed Au deposit, this element naturally as NPs within their tissues. The resulting plant material can be used to make biomass-derived catalysts. studies have shown that the addition of specific, short (∼10 amino acid) peptide/s to solutions can be used to control the NP size and shape, factors that can be used to optimize catalysts for different processes. Introducing these peptides into the model plant species, (), allows us to regulate the diameter of nanoparticles within the plant itself, consequently influencing the catalytic performance in the resulting pyrolyzed biomass. Furthermore, we show that overexpressing the copper and gold COPPER TRANSPORTER 2 (COPT2) in increases the uptake of these metals. Adding value to the Au-rich biomass offers the potential to make plant-based remediation and stabilization of mine wastes financially feasible. Thus, this study represents a significant step toward engineering plants for the sustainable recovery of finite and valuable elements from our environment.
金纳米粒子（Au-NPs）被用作各种工业应用的催化剂。目前，Au-NPs 是通过化学方法合成的，但研究表明，植物在摄入 Au 后，会将这种元素自然地以 NPs 的形式沉积在其组织内。由此产生的植物材料可用于制造生物量衍生的催化剂。研究表明，在溶液中添加特定的、短的（约 10 个氨基酸）肽，可以用来控制 NP 的尺寸和形状，这些因素可以用来优化不同工艺的催化剂。将这些肽引入模式植物物种拟南芥中，使我们能够在植物体内调节纳米颗粒的直径，从而影响所得热解生物质的催化性能。此外，我们还表明，在 中过表达铜和金的 COPPER TRANSPORTER 2（COPT2）可以增加这些金属的摄取量。为富含 Au 的生物质增加附加值，使利用植物修复和稳定矿山废物在经济上变得可行。因此，本研究朝着为从我们的环境中可持续回收有限和有价值的元素而对植物进行工程设计迈出了重要的一步。
