umthombo:umntu omtsha

Izinto zomhlaba ezinqabileyo(REEs) njengelanthanumkwayeneodymiumzizinto zombane zala maxesha, ukusuka kwiiselfowuni kunye neepaneli zelanga ukuya kwiisathelayithi kunye nezithuthi zombane. Ezi ntsimbi zinzima zenzeka macala onke, nangona zizixa ezincinane. Kodwa imfuno iyaqhubeka nokunyuka kwaye ngenxa yokuba zenzeke kwiindawo eziphantsi ngolo hlobo, iindlela zemveli zokukhupha ii-REE zinokungasebenzi kakuhle, zingcolise indalo, kwaye zibe yingozi kwimpilo yabasebenzi.

Ngoku, ngenkxaso-mali evela kwi-Arhente ye-Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (i-DARPA) ye-Environmental Microbes njengeprogram ye-BioEngineering Resource (EMBER), abaphandi beYunivesithi yaseSan Diego State baphuhlisa iindlela eziphambili zokukhupha ngenjongo yokunyusa ukunikezelwa kwe-REEs yasekhaya.

"Sizama ukuphuhlisa inkqubo entsha yokubuyisela ehambelana nokusingqongileyo kwaye izinzileyo," watsho i-biologist kunye nomphenyi oyintloko uMarina Kalyuzhnaya.

Ukwenza oku, abaphandi baya kucofa ukuthambekela kwendalo kwebhaktheriya edla i-methane ehlala kwiimeko ezimandundu ukuze ibambe ii-REEs kwindawo.

"Bafuna izinto ezinqabileyo zomhlaba ukwenza enye yeendlela eziphambili ze-enzymatic kwiindlela zabo zemetabolism," utshilo uKalyuzhnaya.

I-REEs ibandakanya izinto ezininzi ze-lanthanide zetafile ye periodic. Ngentsebenziswano neYunivesithi yaseCalifornia, iBerkeley kunye nePacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), abaphandi be-SDSU baceba ukubuyisela umva ubunjineli beenkqubo zebhayoloji ezivumela ibhaktiriya ukuba ivune isinyithi esisingqongileyo. Ukuqonda le nkqubo kuya kwazisa ukudalwa kweeprotheni zomyili owenziweyo ezibophelela ngokucokisekileyo okuphezulu kwiintlobo ezahlukeneyo ze-lanthanides, ngokutsho kwe-biochemist uJohn Love. Iqela le-PNNL liza kuchonga i-genetic determinants ye-extremophilic kunye ne-REE eqokelela ibhaktiriya, kwaye ke ibonakalise i-REE yabo.

Iqela liya kuthi ke liguqule iibhaktheriya ukuvelisa iiprotheyini ezibopha isinyithi kumphezulu weeseli zabo, utshilo uLuthando.

IiREE zininzi ngokwentelekiso kwiintsalela zezimbiwa, inkunkuma yeentsimbi zentsimbi, njengealuminiyam.

“Iintsalela zemigodi ziyinkunkuma eneneni zisenezinto ezininzi eziluncedo kuyo,” utshilo uKalyuzhnaya.

Ukucoca kunye nokuqokelela ii-REEs ngaphakathi, olu daka lwamanzi kunye namatye atyumkileyo luya kuqhutywa nge-biofilter equlethe ibhaktheriya eguquliweyo, evumela iiprotheni zomyili kumphezulu webhaktheriya ukuba zibophe ngokukhethiweyo kwii-REEs. Njengebhaktiriya ethanda i-methane esebenza njengeetemplates zabo, ibhaktheriya ephuculweyo iya kunyamezela ukugqithiswa kwe-pH, ubushushu kunye netyuwa, iimeko ezifumaneka kwiintsila zemigodi.

Abaphandi baya kusebenzisana neqabane loshishino, iPalo Alto Research Centre (PARC), inkampani ye-Xerox, i-bioprint i-porous, i-sorbent material ukuze isetyenziswe kwi-biofilter. Le teknoloji ye-bioprinting inexabiso eliphantsi kwaye iyancipha kwaye kuqikelelwa ukuba ibangele ukonga okubalulekileyo xa isetyenziswe ngokubanzi ekubuyiseleni izimbiwa.

Ukongeza ekuvavanyeni nasekuphuculeni i-biofilter, iqela liya kufuneka kwakhona liphuhlise iindlela zokuqokelela i-lanthanides ecocekileyo kwi-biofilter ngokwayo, ngokutsho kwenjineli yendalo esingqongileyo uChristy Dykstra. Abaphandi baye badibanisa nenkampani yokuqalisa, i-Phoenix Tailings, ukuvavanya nokucoca inkqubo yokubuyisela.

Ngenxa yokuba injongo kukuphuhlisa inkqubo yorhwebo kodwa ehambelana nokusingqongileyo yokukhupha ii-REEs, i-Dykstra kunye namaqabane amaninzi eprojekthi aya kuhlalutya iindleko zenkqubo xa kuthelekiswa nobunye ubuchwepheshe bokubuyisela i-lanthanides, kodwa kunye neempembelelo zokusingqongileyo.

"Silindele ukuba iya kuba neenzuzo ezininzi zokusingqongileyo kunye neendleko eziphantsi zamandla xa kuthelekiswa noko kusetyenziswe ngoku," utshilo uDykstra. “Inkqubo efana nale inokuba yinkqubo yohluzo lwebhayoloji engenzi nto, enamagalelo amancinane amandla. Kwaye ke, ngokwethiyori, ukusetyenziswa kancinci kwezinyibilikisi eziyingozi ngokwendalo kunye nezinto ezinjalo. Uninzi lweenkqubo zangoku ziya kusebenzisa izinyibilikisi ezirhabaxa ngokwenene nezingenabuhlobo kwindalo.

UDykstra ukwaphawula ukuba ekubeni iintsholongwane ziziphindaphinda ngokwazo, ubugcisa obusekelwe kwiintsholongwane buyazihlaziya, “ngelixa ukuba besisebenzisa indlela yemichiza, bekuya kufuneka siqhubeke sivelisa imichiza engakumbi nangakumbi.”

"Nokuba iya kubiza imali encinci, kodwa ayiyonakalisi indalo, iya kuba sengqiqweni," utshilo uKalyuzhnaya.

Injongo yeprojekthi exhaswa ngemali yi-DARPA kukubonelela ngobungqina be-bio-driven REE-recovery technology kwiminyaka emine, uKalyuzhnaya uthe kuya kufuna umbono weqhinga kunye nembono yoluleko.

Wongeze ukuba le projekthi iza kubonelela abafundi abaphumelele i-SDSU ithuba lokuthatha inxaxheba kuphando lwezifundo ezininzi "kwaye babone ukuba iikhonsepthi zinokukhula njani ukusuka kwimibono nje yonke indlela yokuqhuba umboniso."

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Ixesha lokuposa: Apr-17-2023