BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have proposed a new method of transforming wastewater contaminants into valuable chemicals using sunlight, paving the way for sustainable and eco-friendly chemical manufacturing.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology and other institutes, was recently published in the journal Nature Sustainability.
In this study, the researchers set out to convert pollutants from wastewater into semiconductor biohybrids directly in the wastewater environment.
The concept involves utilizing the organic carbon, heavy metals and sulfate compounds present in wastewater as the raw materials for constructing these biohybrids, and subsequently converting them into valuable chemicals using sunlight.
The researchers selected a fast-growing marine bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, which has exceptional tolerance for high salt concentrations and a capacity for utilizing various carbon sources.
They introduced an aerobic sulfate reduction pathway into Vibrio natriegens in order to biosynthesize functional semiconductor nanoparticles in Vibrio natriegens to assemble semiconductor biohybrids from wastewater.
The nanoparticles can increase the synthesis efficiency of biohybrids and the conversion of organic matter in wastewater by absorbing the extra energy generated by sunlight, said Gao Xiang, a researcher at the SIAT.
"This work can bring solar-driven biomanufacturing and waste-to-wealth conversion one step forward and pave the way to cleaner production and circular economy," said the study.
Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
Iga Swiatek leads Poland to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Japan, Australia and Slovakia win
Griezmann scores 2 as Atletico Madrid beats Girona 3
Ohio judge to rule Monday on whether the state’s abortion ban stands
Morale plunges amid setbacks as Myanmar’s junta looks for scapegoats — Radio Free Asia
Xi inspects Changde in central China's Hunan Province
Elon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patient
Griezmann scores 2 as Atletico Madrid beats Girona 3
Candice Swanepoel stuns in a form
Senior Chinese legislator emphasizes importance of handling ethnic affairs according to the law