Researchers Isolate Copper- Extracting Bacteria 33
meckardt writes "Using biological processes to retrieve metals from a subtrate has been at best a topic of science fiction. However, in today's news a Japanese-Chilean research firm reported a breakthrough in developing new technology that uses bacteria to extract copper from poor quality mineral at a low cost."
Cool (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)
Thank You Captain Obvious
Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course, having bacteria that handle any specific metals would be handy. As I remember, cadmium is used pretty heavily in chip fabs, and having a process to remediate it might be very nice for the environment near current and former fabs.
The important thing to me seems to be how the metals are accumulated. it does no good if a bacteria accumulates a metal if we cannot extract the bacteria from the water / substance afterwards...
-- Kevin J. Rice
Re:Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, yes [slashdot.org].
Re:Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:1)
Re:Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:2)
Very cool articles... I had NO IDEA about how common that is with copper!
Re:Gold, silver, etc.? (Score:1)
it had to be said (Score:1)
Note to self... (Score:5, Funny)
This is Not New: Lots of Bacteria do this (Score:4, Insightful)
Salis
Dont infect my computer (Score:5, Funny)
Gosh, just imagine if a power station gets infected.
Sam
It doesn't eat copper, it just accumulates it (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Dont infect my computer (Score:2)
All my pennies are dissolving! AAAAAAAAaaaaaaa11!!!
Oh wait minute... who cares?
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Someone had to.. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Someone had to.. (Score:2)
Reaction rate? (Score:3, Informative)
Let's look at the next line. (Score:3, Insightful)
Commercial production will begin by 2007, according to Codelco.
Of course it's modest. Pilot plants aren't supposed to produce commercial levels of output. A pilot plant is basically a sanity check, where you find the mistakes and hidden problems in a new process before spending the cash to build a full-scale plant.
Plus, it's a bit strange to compare a single plant--pilot or production--to the output of an entire country.
Re:Let's look at the next line. (Score:2)
It depends on the cost. (Score:3, Insightful)
This process is designed to after the leftovers--the ore that isn't worth processing with the current technology. The company has already sunk a set amount of money into each mine for such things as buying the land and setting up the infrastructure; so even if this new process isn't all that productive it can still be cost effective.
hmm (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Reaction rate? (Score:3, Insightful)
I suspect these bacteria would do the job more effectively. Now, for coal mine waste water, which is often excessively rich in iron, a suitable bacteria would do a better job than today's technology, how
hmm I dont like this at all (Score:1)
Think bigger (Score:4, Insightful)
First isolate bacteria for extraction of other elements. If you have enough diversity take a small craft filled with bacteria and their life-support system which certainly isnt as big as one for humans. Then land the craft on the object and start mining and sorting out the elements.
Later send crafts to pick up that elements and produce something out of it. Perhaps first a larger scale mining operation, or a larger scale production facility.
Then construct all the other stuff. Dreaming...
Error in story (Score:5, Informative)
Bacteria have been used in the copper and iron mining industries for a long time, especially for the sulfide ores. There's a diagram in the 6th edition (1991) of Biology of Microorganisms by Brock and Madigan, p. 650, of the microbial leaching of copper sulfide minerals. Water containing a ferric sulfate solution is dribbled over a pile of copper sulfide ore. Using oxygen or ferric iron and water, bacteria oxidize the copper into the soluble Cu2+, with ferrous iron, water and sulfate as byproducts. The water moves to a non-biological stage where the Cu2+ is reduced to metal by reacting with iron scrap metal. The iron is oxidized to the soluble ferrous form. In the last stage, another microbe, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, oxidizes the ferrous ions to ferric ions, and the ferric sulfate solution is pumped back to the top of the hill (occasionally sulfuric acid is added).
how about some medicine (Score:1)
Re:how about some medicine (Score:3, Informative)
Re:how about some medicine (Score:1)