Peptide-functionalized iron oxide magnetic nanoparticle for gold mining

Wei-Zheng Shen,Elham Rafie Borujeny,Carlo Montemagno,Sibel Cetinel,Kumakshi Sharma

doi:10.1007/s11051-017-3752-7

Abstract

Here, we present our work on preparing a novel nanomaterial composed of inorganic binding peptides and magnetic nanoparticles for inorganic mining. Two previously selected and well-characterized gold-binding peptides from cell surface display, AuBP1 and AuBP2, were exploited. This nanomaterial (AuBP-MNP) was designed to fulfill the following two significant functions: the surface conjugated gold-binding peptide will recognize and selectively bind to gold, while the magnetic nano-sized core will respond and migrate according to the applied external magnetic field. This will allow the smart nanomaterial to mine an individual material (gold) from a pool of mixture, without excessive solvent extraction, filtration, and concentration steps. The working efficiency of AuBP-MNP was determined by showing a dramatic reduction of gold nanoparticle colloid concentration, monitored by spectroscopy. The binding kinetics of AuBP-MNP onto the gold surface was determined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, which exhibits around 100 times higher binding kinetics than peptides alone. The binding capacity of AuBP-MNP was demonstrated by a bench-top mining test with gold microparticles.Graphical abstract

Highlights

IntroductionDepending on the resource being mined, processing technology used and geology at the mine site, the type, amount, and properties of mine waste found in different tailings vary
Tailings are the by-products left over from mining and extracting resources
This paper presents work on preparing a novel nanomaterial composed of gold-binding peptides conjugated on the surface of shell-protected magnetic nanoparticles

Summary

Introduction

Depending on the resource being mined, processing technology used and geology at the mine site, the type, amount, and properties of mine waste found in different tailings vary. Much of this waste contains very precious minerals, such as noble metals, semiconductors, and rare earth elements. Mixed with sand, silt, clay, chemicals, and water, these valuable minerals are generally difficult to recover and are usually deposited in the form of a water-based slurry into tailing ponds. These leftover minerals represent billion of dollars in loss.

Methods

Results

Conclusion