With the growing demand for clean energy, efficient uranium extraction technologies are needed, especially from seawater, where uranium reserves are huge. Here, we developed a composite membrane by inserting Escherichia coli engineered with super uranyl-binding protein (SUP) within a two-dimensional (2D) MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) layer. SUP endowed the bioinorganic hybrid membrane with ultrahigh selectivity for uranyl ions, while the engineered E. coli improved the mechanical strength and economy of the membranes. Experimental results showed that the membranes achieved precise recognition of uranyl ions and excellent ion screening performance (SF_U/V ≈ 43, SF_Na/U ≈ 158). Excellent separation performance and cyclic stability tests demonstrated the industrial application potential of the membrane. This method offers a green and sustainable solution, combining biological engineering and nanomaterial innovation, providing an environmentally friendly and efficient approach for uranium extraction from seawater, marking a significant advancement in the field of clean energy resource development.

中文翻译：

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分层生物无机MXene膜：使用转基因大肠杆菌从海水中提取铀的绿色方法


随着对清洁能源的需求不断增长，需要高效的铀提取技术，尤其是从铀储量巨大的海水中提取铀。在这里，我们通过在二维 （2D） MXene （Ti₃C₂T_x） 层内插入用超级铀酰结合蛋白 （SUP） 设计的大肠杆菌来开发一种复合膜。SUP 赋予生物无机杂化膜对铀酰离子的超高选择性，而工程化的大肠杆菌提高了膜的机械强度和经济性。实验结果表明，该膜实现了对铀酰离子的精确识别和优异的离子筛选性能（SF_U/V ≈ 43，SF_Na/U ≈ 158）。优异的分离性能和循环稳定性测试证明了该膜的工业应用潜力。该方法提供了一种绿色和可持续的解决方案，结合了生物工程和纳米材料创新，为从海水中提取铀提供了一种环保高效的方法，标志着清洁能源资源开发领域的重大进步。