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Gold Digging Bacteria could be useful metal recovery aid from waste

Scientists Nathan Magarvey and his team from McMaster University in Ontario discovered a bacteria that can transform the presious toxic solution of gold into tiny gold nanoparticle. poisonous ions in toxic solutions of gold into tiny nanoparticles of gold. When the bacteria, delftia acidovorans was cultured in the presence of gold solution the researcher discovered that the bacterial colonies were covered with dark haloes of gold nanoparticle. 
 

According to Frank Reith an environmental microbiologist from University of Adelaide in Australia believes that the molecule with which bacteria creates the particles could one day be used to collect gold from mine waste, who is also working on gold-processing bacteria but with a different bacterium, Cupriavidus metallidurans which lives in biofilms of gold nuggets. The bacteria detoxify dissolved gold by accumulating it in inert nanoparticles inside their cells.
So, these two bacterium can be a useful tool for future mining and detoxification.


1. http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/main/images/news_2013/gold_resistant_bacterium_640x640.jpg
2. http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/goldnanoparticles-ed01.jpg

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