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Investigating lead removal at trace concentrations from water by inactive yeast cells

Stathatou, P. M.; Athanasiou, C. E.; Tsezos, M.; Goss, J. W.; Blackburn, C.; Tourlomousis, F.; Mershin, A.; Sheldon, B. W.; Padture, N. P.; Darling, E. M.; Gao, H.; Gershenfeld, N.

2021-10-09 bioengineering
10.1101/2021.10.07.463380 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Traces of heavy metals found in water resources, due to mining activities and e-waste discharge, pose a global threat. Conventional treatment processes fail to remove toxic heavy metals, such as lead, from drinking water in a resource-efficient manner when their initial concentrations are low. Here, we show that by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae we can effectively remove trace lead from water via a rapid mass transfer process, achieving an uptake of up to 12 mg lead per gram of biomass in solutions with initial lead concentrations below 1 part per million. We found that the yeast cell wall plays a crucial role in this process, with its mannoproteins and {beta}-glucans being the key potential lead adsorbents. Furthermore, we discovered that biosorption is linked to a significant increase in cell wall stiffness. These findings open new opportunities for using environmentally friendly and abundant biomaterials for advanced water treatment targeting emerging contaminants. One-Sentence SummaryRemoving toxic heavy metals from water at challenging trace levels in an environmentally friendly, resource-efficient manner.

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