Microbiologists figured out how to extract gold from seawater Bashny.Net

Canadian researchers from McMaster University and the University of Western Ontario have found a bacteria that can distinguish gold from solutions and precipitating it, making the presence of a costly metal, the obvious.

The bacteria Delftia acidovorans use substances, which cause the gold to precipitate out of solution. Because the microorganisms make themselves safe conditions for life, since the gold ions are dangerous for a variety of bacteria. Another bacterium, known as Cupriavidus metallidurans, can accumulate gold inside.

 




These bacteria are found in the Australian gold mines in 2005. Frank Wright was able to prove that bacteria could facilitate the production of gold or to create nanoparticles of this metal, which have in advance the desired properties.

Canadian scientists studied how bacteria communicate with molecules of gold and how they can avoid poisoning. It turned out that this process has a genetic nature: Delftia acidovorans produces deletebutton, implemented in solutions which contain precious metal, precipitating metallic gold on the cell wall. This produces a special substance.

 




Moreover, the substance that creates the bacteria that can pull water from iron ions. This means that microbiologists will be able to get nuggets of iron with elements of gold.

At least the opening of the canadian researchers can be applied for wastewater treatment, which carry almost the full periodic table, and for removing gold from waste mining industry. Deletebutton will help in creating catalysts in the form of gold particles required for the acceleration of some chemical reactions.





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