Extraction, isolation and NMR data of the tetraether lipid calditoglycerocaldarchaeol (GDNT) from Sulfolobus metallicus harvested from a bioleaching reactor.
The successful extraction and isolation of the hydrolysed tetraether lipid calditoglycerocaldarchaeol (GDNT) from Sulfolobus metallicus, a key thermophilic bioleaching archaeon, is described. The archaeal biomass was recovered directly from a thermophilic (68 degrees C) bioleaching tank reactor used to extract nickel from a pentlandite mineral concentrate. The initial Soxhlet extraction method employed was scaled to a bench-scale extraction procedure suitable for the preparation of gram-scale quantities of GDNT. The GDNT so obtained was analysed by 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, providing the first complete 13C and 2D-NMR data-set for GDNT, including that for the intact underivatised calditol moiety. The study demonstrates the feasibility of recovering high-quality GNDT from thermophilic archaeal-mediated bioleaching reactors. The recovery of these lipids at relatively low cost, as a by-product from bioleaching reactors used in the metals processing industry, has important implications for future tetraether lipid availability and costs.
Bode
Moira L
ML
CSIR Biosciences, Modderfontein, South Africa. mbode@csir.co.za
Buddoo
Subash R
SR
Minnaar
Sanet H
SH
du Plessis
Chris A
CA
D018533:Biomass; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010865:Pilot Projects; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D016944:Sulfolobus / Q000737:chemistry
D004075:Diglycerides; D006017:Glycolipids; C094613:calditoglycerocaldarchaeol; C085775:glycerol dialkyl nonitol tetraethyl ether