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Toward Alginate-Based Membrane Technology for High Performance Recovery of Heavy Metals in Cells.
Alisa Katsen-Globa1, André Schulz1,2, Norbert Pütz3
1Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Weg 1, 66280 Sulzbach, Germany.
ACS Applied Bio Materials
|January 11, 2022
Summary
Alginate scaffolds effectively remove toxic heavy metals and ruthenium from solutions. This biomembrane technology shows potential for environmental protection and offers insights into metal-cell interactions.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Global metal contamination poses significant environmental and health risks due to the non-biodegradable nature of heavy metals.
- Developing cost-effective, biocompatible materials for selective toxic element removal is crucial for environmental remediation and aligns with Green Chemistry principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize an advanced biomembrane technology using microdimensional alginate scaffolds for heavy metal and ruthenium recovery.
- To investigate the sorption capabilities of alginate scaffolds under various conditions, including different aqueous matrices and in the presence of lung cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microdimensional alginate scaffolds for the removal of cadmium (Cd(II)), cobalt (Co(II)), lead (Pb(II)), arsenic (As(III)), and ruthenium (Ru(III)).
- Employed a combination of biological (live/dead cell test), physical nanoanalytical (TEM/EDX, SEM/EDX), and chemical (FT-IR, HR-ICP-MS) assays to monitor removal and interactions.
- Investigated the impact of medium acidity and matrix effects on sorption capacity and analyzed the concentration-dependent effects of loaded metals on cultivated cells.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the efficacy of alginate scaffolds in removing multiple heavy metals and ruthenium from modeled solutions and cell culture media.
- Observed distinct attachment behaviors of different elements during adsorption onto alginate scaffolds.
- Revealed a significant concentration-dependent toxicity of loaded heavy metals and ruthenium on A549 lung cells.
Conclusions:
- Alginate-based biomembrane technology offers a promising approach for the selective recovery of toxic heavy metals and ruthenium.
- The study provides critical insights into the interactions within the biomaterial-inorganic system, informing the development of environmental and biological sample protection strategies.
- The findings support the application of alginate scaffolds in developing advanced membrane technologies for pollutant removal.
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