Biological effects of carbon nanotubes generated in forest wildfire ecosystems rich in resinous trees on native plants

PeerJ

article

Javier Lara-Romero¹  Jesús Campos-García²  Nabanita Dasgupta-Schubert³  Salomón Borjas-García³  DK Tiwari³  Francisco Paraguay-Delgado⁴  Sergio Jiménez-Sandoval⁵  Gabriel Alonso-Nuñez⁶  Mariela Gómez-Romero⁷  Roberto Lindig-Cisneros⁷  Homero Reyes De la Cruz²  Javier A. Villegas² 

[1] Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo;Instituto de Investigaciones Químico Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo;CONACYT-El Colegio de Michoacán/Ladipa;Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C.;Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN;Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

关键词: Nanomaterials;    Multiwalled carbon nanotubes;    Resinous trees;    Forest ecosystem;    Wildfires;    Plant promotion;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.3658

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a broad range of applications and are generally considered human-engineered nanomaterials. However, carbon nanostructures have been found in ice cores and oil wells, suggesting that nature may provide appropriate conditions for CNT synthesis. During forest wildfires, materials such as turpentine and conifer tissues containing iron under high temperatures may create chemical conditions favorable for CNT generation, similar to those in synthetic methods. Here, we show evidence of naturally occurring multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) produced from Pinus oocarpa and Pinus pseudostrobus, following a forest wildfire. The MWCNTs showed an average of 10 walls, with internal diameters of ∼2.5 nm and outer diameters of ∼14.5 nm. To verify whether MWCNT generation during forest wildfires has a biological effect on some characteristic plant species of these ecosystems, germination and development of seedlings were conducted. Results show that the utilization of comparable synthetic MWCNTs increased seed germination rates and the development of Lupinus elegans and Eysenhardtia polystachya, two plants species found in the burned forest ecosystem. The finding provides evidence that supports the generation and possible ecological functions of MWCNTs in nature.

【 授权许可】

CC BY