Material, and method for producing material

Abstract

To provide a novel material.SOLUTION: A material 3 formed by bonding together a plurality of cultured plant cells 1 in which cell walls have been grown using monolignol.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to materials and methods of making materials. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, trees have been grown, cut down, sawn, and used to produce materials (wood). Under these circumstances, for example, materials utilizing plant cells are being investigated in Patent Document 1. Considering the potential for various applications, the development of further novel materials is desired. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-166439 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide novel materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The means of the present disclosure are as follows. A material made by adhering multiple cultured plant cells whose cell walls have been grown using monolignol. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a novel material can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of the present manufacturing method. [Figure 2] 1 is a graph showing the results of a test to confirm the thickening of walls by adding monolignol. [Figure 3] 10 is a photograph showing the molding process using an enzyme treatment. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the results of a physical property test (elastic modulus). [Figure 5] 1 is a graph showing the results (maximum stress) of a physical property test. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Here, another example of the present disclosure is given. [1] A material made by adhering multiple cultured plant cells whose cell walls have been grown using monolignol. [2] Monolignols increase the thickness of the cell walls of cultured plant cells, A method for producing a material by adhering a plurality of the cultured plant cells. [3] The method for producing the material described in [2] uses peroxidase for adhesion.

[0009] The present disclosure will be described in detail below. In this specification, when a numerical range is indicated using "-", it is intended to include both the lower limit and the upper limit unless otherwise specified. For example, the expression "10-20" includes both the lower limit "10" and the upper limit "20". In other words, "10-20" has the same meaning as "10 or more and 20 or less". In addition, in the present disclosure, the upper limit and lower limit of each numerical range can be combined in any way.

[0010] 1.Material The material of the present disclosure is formed by adhering a plurality of cultured plant cells whose cell walls have been grown using monolignol.

[0011] (1) Monolignol The monolignol is not particularly limited, and the monolignol to be used is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of coniferyl alcohol and p-coumaryl alcohol. Monolignols stimulate plant culture cells to increase the amount of lignin and cellulose in the cell walls.

[0012] (2) Plant cultured cells The plant cultured cells are not particularly limited. The plant cultured cells are not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of easy availability, one or more types of plant cultured cells selected from the group consisting of bamboo cells and kenaf cells are preferably used.

[0013] (3) Adhesion The adhesion means is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of favorable adhesion of cultured plant cells to each other, it is preferable to use peroxidase for adhesion. A coenzyme may be used for adhesion, and hydrogen peroxide is a preferred example of the coenzyme. (4) Material effects The materials of the present disclosure are novel materials. The material of the present disclosure does not have knots or curves like natural wood, and has little variation in physical properties. The material disclosed herein is made from carbon dioxide and can be produced industrially. The material of the present disclosure can be formed into any shape because it is not cut down from trees. The materials disclosed herein have the potential to produce materials with strength comparable to that of steel. The materials of the present disclosure can be tailored to the desired strength. The material disclosed herein can be produced in a short period of time, without the long period of time required for large diameter trees, which can take 30 to 50 years or more.

[0014] 2.Material manufacturing method The method for producing a material according to the present disclosure uses monolignol to increase the thickness of the cell walls of cultured plant cells, allowing multiple cultured plant cells to adhere to each other. Regarding "monolignol" and "cultured plant cells," the explanations in the "1. Materials" section apply as they are, and their description will be omitted. In other words, the "monolignol" and "cultured plant cells" explained in the "1. Materials" section apply as they are. An example of this production method is shown schematically in Figure 1. In Figure 1, reference numeral 1 denotes "cultured plant cells," and reference numeral 3 denotes "materials."

[0015] (1) Cell wall thickening process In this process, the cell wall thickness of the cultured plant cells is increased by the action of monolignol, which stimulates the cultured plant cells to increase the lignin and cellulose in the cell wall, thereby increasing the thickness of the cell wall. For example, monolignol is added to a culture solution containing cultured plant cells so that the concentration in the culture solution is preferably 1 mM to 15 mM. Then, the culture is continued for a predetermined period to promote cell wall formation. Considering the efficiency of increasing the thickness of the cell wall, the monolignol concentration is preferably 1 mM to 15 mM, more preferably 3 mM to 10 mM, and even more preferably 5 mM to 10 mM. The culture time after the addition of monolignol is not particularly limited, and is preferably from 1 day to 30 days, more preferably from 3 days to 14 days, and even more preferably from 5 days to 7 days, from the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient thickness of the cell wall.

[0016] (2) Adhesion process of plant culture cells In this process, multiple cultured plant cells are adhered (bound) together by the action of peroxidase. As a pretreatment for this step, it is preferable to filter the plant cells and wash them with water (e.g., distilled water). This pretreatment removes any attached material from the cell walls, making it easier for the plant cells to adhere to each other. The peroxidase is used as an enzyme solution. The concentration of the peroxidase is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient adhesive strength, the concentration of the peroxidase is preferably 1 U / g or more and 30 U / g or less, more preferably 5 U / g or more and 20 U / g or less, and even more preferably 10 U / g or more and 20 U / g or less. The enzyme solution preferably contains hydrogen peroxide, whose concentration is preferably 0.01% to 0.1%, more preferably 0.05% to 0.08%, and even more preferably 0.05% to 0.06%, by mass, from the viewpoint of its role as a coenzyme (suppressing the effects on other components and suppressing the high reactivity of hydrogen peroxide). (3) Effect of material manufacturing method The manufacturing method of the present disclosure can provide novel materials. The manufacturing method of the present disclosure can provide a material that is free of knots and curves like natural wood and has little variation in physical properties. The manufacturing method of the present disclosure enables industrial production of materials using carbon dioxide as a raw material. The manufacturing method of the present disclosure allows materials to be shaped freely without cutting them down from trees. The manufacturing method disclosed herein may enable the production of materials with strength comparable to that of steel. The manufacturing method of the present disclosure can produce materials with adjusted strengths. The manufacturing method of the present disclosure allows for the production of trees in a short period of time, without the long period of time required for large diameter trees, which can take 30 to 50 years or more. [Example]

[0017] 1. Experiment to confirm thickening of wall by adding monolignol The following experiment confirmed that the addition of monolignol caused cell wall thickening. When cell walls thicken, the amount of lignin increases. Therefore, by confirming the increase in lignin, we can confirm the thickening of cell walls.

[0018] <Control experiment> (1) Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. (2) The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. (3) The culture was continued for approximately two weeks. (4) The amount of lignin components was measured.

[0019] <Monolignol addition experiment> (1) Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. (2) The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. (3) Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for about two weeks to promote cell wall formation. (4) The amount of lignin components was measured.

[0020] <Measurement of lignin content> The amount of lignin component was measured by the sulfuric acid method, which involves acid hydrolysis of polysaccharides in the cell walls of a cell sample and measuring the amount of remaining lignin. Specifically, the measurement was carried out by the method described in JP-A-2022-166439.

[0021] <Experimental Results> The test results are shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, the notation "No addition" indicates the results of the control experiment. The notation "CA addition" indicates the results of the monolignol addition experiment. As shown in Figure 2, the addition of monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) increased the lignin yield. This confirmed that monolignol thickens the cell walls. Furthermore, when the cells were irradiated with UV (ultraviolet) light after the experiment, the cells to which monolignol had been added glowed, which was due to an increase in lignin content.

[0022] 2. Confirmation of the adhesion effect of plant culture cells due to the action of peroxidase The following experiment confirmed the adhesive effect of peroxidase on cultured plant cells. (1) Sample preparation The preparation of the sample will be described.

[0023] <Experimental Example 1 (Control Experiment)> [1] Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. [2] The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. [3] Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for approximately two weeks to promote cell wall formation. [4] Plant cells were filtered and washed with distilled water. [5] Cells were placed in the mold, and then dried at 50°C to obtain a sample of the material.

[0024] <Experimental Example 2> [1] Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. [2] The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. [3] Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for approximately two weeks to promote cell wall formation. [4] Plant cells were filtered and washed with distilled water. [5] The cells were placed in the mold, and an enzyme solution (containing laccase) adjusted to approximately 20 U was added. After that, the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at 25°C, and the material sample was then dried to obtain it.

[0025] <Experimental Example 3> [1] Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. [2] The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. [3] Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for approximately two weeks to promote cell wall formation. [4] Plant cells were filtered and washed with distilled water. [5] The cells were placed in the mold, and an enzyme solution (containing heat-inactivated laccase) adjusted to approximately 20 U was added. After that, the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at 25°C, and the material sample was then dried to obtain it.

[0026] <Experimental Example 4> [1] Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. [2] The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. [3] Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for approximately two weeks to promote cell wall formation. [4] Plant cells were filtered and washed with distilled water. [5] The cells were placed in the mold, and an enzyme solution (containing peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide) adjusted to approximately 20 U was added. After that, the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at 25°C, and the material sample was then dried to obtain a sample.

[0027] <Experimental Example 5> [1] Plant cells were cultured. Bamboo cells were used as plant cells. [2] The cells were cultured for approximately two weeks at 25°C with shaking to increase the number of plant cells. [3] Monolignol (coniferyl alcohol) was added to a concentration of 5 mM, and the culture was continued for approximately two weeks to promote cell wall formation. [4] Plant cells were filtered and washed with distilled water. [5] The cells were placed in the mold, and an enzyme solution (containing heat-inactivated peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide) adjusted to approximately 20 U was added. After that, the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at 25°C, and the material sample was then dried to obtain a sample.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows the molding process for Experimental Example 2 (labeled Lac in the photo) and Experimental Example 4 (labeled POX in the photo). In this photo, there are two samples for each of Experimental Example 2 and Experimental Example 4. The left side shows the state before the enzyme treatment and drying treatment, and the right side shows the state after the treatment. The enzyme treatment and drying treatment caused the sample on the left to shrink and become the sample on the right.

[0029] (2) Physical property test method The physical property test (three-point bending test) was carried out using the following equipment and conditions. Device name: Tensilon RTC-1310A Manufacturer: A&D Co., Ltd. Load cell: 1kN Test speed: 2mm / min Distance between fulcrums: 30mm

[0030] (3) Results The results of the physical property tests are shown in Figures 4 and 5. The sample treated with laccase (Example 2) showed almost no improvement in physical properties compared to the control (Example 1). In contrast, the sample treated with peroxidase (Example 4) showed improvement in physical properties compared to the control (Example 1).

[0031] The foregoing examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, the words used in describing and illustrating the present disclosure are understood to be descriptive and exemplary, rather than limiting. As detailed herein, changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure in its form. While specific structures, materials, and examples have been referenced herein in the detailed description of the present disclosure, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited to the specifics disclosed herein; rather, the present disclosure extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses within the scope of the appended claims.

[0032] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1...Plant cultured cells 3...Materials

Claims

1. A material made by adhering multiple cultured plant cells whose cell walls have been grown using monolignol.

2. Monolignols increase the thickness of the cell walls of cultured plant cells, A method for producing a material by adhering a plurality of the cultured plant cells.

3. The method for producing a material according to claim 2, wherein peroxidase is used for adhesion.

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