Arsenic-interacting plant proteins as templates for arsenic specific flotation collectors? A review

• Arsenic hyper-accumulators may serve as templates for As-specific collectors.
• Potential biomolecules identified were: PC proteins, AR enzymes and ACR3 proteins.
• PC proteins and AR enzymes are thiol based, the remainder is uncharacterised.
• Thiol collectors are already in use and are not 100% selective towards arsenic.
• ACR3 and PC chemistries need to be studied and characterised.

Arsenic-bearing minerals commonly occur within ore bodies that contain lead, nickel, gold and most notably copper. Due to similarities in the surface properties of base metal sulfide minerals and arsenic-bearing minerals, selective separations of arsenic from such ores by flotation remain challenging. Arsenic is also ubiquitous in the natural environment and extremely toxic to all forms of life. However, certain plant species have evolved mechanisms that allow them to thrive in arsenic rich soils, by hyper-accumulating arsenic within their root and leaf mass. This paper reviews the biological functions of arsenic hyper-accumulating plants and identifies the key biomolecules involved in the uptake, detoxification and sequestration of arsenic chemical species within these plants. The review then examines the possibility that these molecules hold the key to developing arsenic-specific flotation collectors.

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