It has been reported that the secret of obtaining liquid gold has been revealed. It’s like living an alchemist’s life these days with so many “magical” new reports out. Check out the details below.

Liquid gold is achievable these days

A team of researchers, led by Prof. Xiang Gao from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Lu Lu from the Harbin Institute of Technology, has proposed an innovative method to convert wastewater contaminants into valuable chemicals using sunlight.

The study, published on October 16 in the journal Nature Sustainability, introduces a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to chemical manufacturing and production.

Traditional chemical manufacturing processes are energy-intensive. To address this, scientists are exploring the use of Semiconductor Biohybrids, which combine efficient light-harvesting materials with superior living cells, to harness solar energy for chemical production.

However, the challenge lies in developing an economically viable and environmentally friendly method for scaling up this technology.

Converting pollutants

The researchers aimed to convert pollutants in wastewater into semiconductor biohybrids directly within the wastewater environment. They utilized organic carbon, heavy metals, and sulfate compounds from wastewater to construct biohybrids and convert them into valuable chemicals.

Their main focus was on producing 2,3-butanediol (BDO), a valuable commodity chemical.

To produce CdS nanoparticles that absorb light efficiently, the researchers engineered a V. natriegens strain that generated hydrogen sulfide.

These nanoparticles were biocompatible and allowed the in-situ creation of semiconductor biohybrids, enabling non-photosynthetic bacteria to utilize light.

The researchers found that these sunlight-activated biohybrids increased Bdo Production significantly, surpassing yields achievable through bacterial cells alone.

It is also important to note the fact that the process displayed scalability, achieving solar-driven BDO production on a substantial 5-liter scale using actual wastewater.

“The biohybrid platform not only boasts a lower carbon footprint but also reduces product costs, leading to an overall smaller environmental impact when compared to both traditional bacterial fermentation and fossil fuel-based BDO production methods,” said Prof. Gao.

“Remarkably, these biohybrids could be produced using a variety of wastewater sources.”

You can check out the original post in SciTech Daily. 

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