Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

>
> > >   name        Brian
> > >   status      educator
> > >   age         50s
>
> > >   Question -  How are bacteria being used in
> > industrial mining,
> > > especially for copper?
> > >
> > >Many thanks for your help
> >
>You'll find the answer at
>http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/IWT/Biomining.html
>from which this is a fragment:
>
>Thiobacillus ferooxidans, which is naturally present
>in certain sulfur-containing materials, gets energy by
>oxidizing inorganic materials, such as copper sulfide
>minerals. This process releases acid and an oxidizing
>solution of ferric ions, which can wash out metals
>from crude ore. Poor quality copper ore, which is
>bound up in a sulfide matrix, is dumped outside a mine
>and treated with sulfuric acid to encourage the growth
>of T. ferooxidans. As the bacteria chew up the ore,
>copper is released and collected in solution. The
>sulfuric acid is recycled.
>
>You can also check the display on applied bacteriology
>in the Virtual Museum of Bacteria
>at www.bacteriamuseum.org/wabacteria/applied.shtml
>
>Trudy Wassenaar
>Curator of the VMB
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