1 research outputs found
Semi-Synthetic Proteins as Metal Ion Capture Agents: Catch and Release of Ni(II) and Cu(II) with Myoglobin Bioconjugates
Metals play a vital role in many
industries, but their extraction
through traditional mining methods poses significant environmental
challenges. To address these issues, alternative sources such as coal
fly ash (CFA) need to be explored for the recovery of transition metals.
In this study, we describe a novel green strategy for the selective
separation and recovery of valuable metal ions from complex solutions
using semi-synthetic proteins. Myoglobin (Mb), a small protein available
from renewable sources, was conjugated to the high-affinity metal
chelator SG-20 to create the semi-synthetic protein Mb-SG-20. Mb-SG-20
was
characterized by gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and proteomic
analysis and found to contain a distribution of 4–7 equiv of
SG-20 conjugated to Mb surface lysine residues. Binding and recovery
properties of Mb-SG-20 for nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) ions were characterized.
The results showed that Mb-SG-20 captures super-stoichiometric amounts
of Ni or Cu while maintaining a strong affinity for Ni or Cu ions.
Furthermore, we demonstrate the recyclability of Mb-SG-20 as a Ni
and Cu ion capture agent and provide proof-of-concept experiments
using CFA leachate solution. This study presents a promising approach
for the sustainable recovery of valuable metals from non-traditional
sources, such as CFA