Science & Technology

Bacteria turns toxic chemicals in to gold

By T.K. Randall
October 5, 2012 ·  25 comments

Image Credit: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited Throughout history the ability to turn valueless materials in to gold was a prize sought relentlessly by alchemists who believed the discovery would make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. Fast forward to 2012 and scientists at Michigan State University may have come up with the next best thing - researchers have found that the bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans is able to turn gold chloride, a toxic waste substance, in to 24-karat gold.

"Microbial alchemy is what we're doing - transforming gold from something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that's valuable," said assistant professor Kazem Kashefi. Unfortunately however the process isn't particularly cost-effective meaning that it is more expensive to enact the conversion than the actual value of the gold produced.[!gad]Throughout history the ability to turn valueless materials in to gold was a prize sought relentlessly by alchemists who believed the discovery would make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. Fast forward to 2012 and scientists at Michigan State University may have come up with the next best thing - researchers have found that the bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans is able to turn gold chloride, a toxic waste substance, in to 24-karat gold.

"Microbial alchemy is what we're doing - transforming gold from something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that's valuable," said assistant professor Kazem Kashefi. Unfortunately however the process isn't particularly cost-effective meaning that it is more expensive to enact the conversion than the actual value of the gold produced.

Source: Huffington Post | Comments (25)

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