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Genetically modified metallothionein/cellulose composite material as an efficient and environmentally friendly biosorbent for Cd2+ removal

  • Xuefen Li
    ,
  • Yuxia Wang
    ,
  • M. James C. Crabbe
    ,
  • Lan Wang
    ,
  • Wenli Ma
    ,
  • Zhumei Ren
  • Shanxi University
    ,
  • University of Oxford
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Open access

Abstract

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a class of cysteine-rich metal-binding proteins. Cadmium (Cd) is one of the toxic heavy metal pollutants. In our previous research, the full-length cDNA of MT (Cd specificity) from freshwater crab (Sinopotamon henanense) (ShMT) was cloned and genetically modified to ShMT3 by site-directed mutagenesis to enhance the tolerance for Cd2+, however, it was limited in actual Cd2+ adsorption due to instability. Here, ShMT3-CBM, a novel recombinant fusion protein, was prepared. CBM is a carbohydrate binding module that can specifically bind cellulose while ShMT3 can effectively chelate Cd2+. The biosorbent Cellulose1-ShMT3-CBM was obtained by screening suitable cellulose materials. The selective adsorption experiments showed that Cellulose1-ShMT3-CBM had a preference for Cd2+. In low-concentration Cd2+ solutions, the removal efficiency was >99 %, and the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 15 min. The saturated adsorption capacity of Cellulose1-ShMT3-CBM for Cd2+ is 180.35 ± 4.67 mg/g (Dry Weight). Regeneration experiments showed that adsorption efficiency was maintained after six cycles. The MTT experiment showed that Cellulose1-ShMT3-CBM had low cytotoxicity. Meanwhile, Cellulose1-ShMT3-CBM can preferentially remove Cd2+ in actual water samples and boiler sewage. In this study, an environmentally friendly biosorbent which can adsorb Cd2+ efficiently and quickly was prepared for actual water treatment.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 543-555 (13 pages)

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (Volume 218)

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 18/07/2022
  • Published - 25/07/2022

Publication status

Published - 25/07/2022

ISSN

0141-8130

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/625513
  • Scopus: 85135040402

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