Frank Reith, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia, found convincing evidence that bacteria thrive on gold particles about ten years ago. The bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans detoxifies dissolved gold by accumulating it in inert nanoparticles inside their cells.
The researchers involved in the study also found a second species of bacterium, Delftia acidovarans, that was somehow creating gold particles outside its cell wall, instead of inside as C. metallidurans does.
Delftibactin could be used to produce gold-nanoparticle catalysts for many chemical reactions, or to precipitate gold from waste water produced at mines. “The idea could be to use a bacterium or metabolite to seed these waste-drop piles, leave them standing for years, and see if bigger particles form,” says Reith.
But he emphasizes that he is most interested in understanding the metabolite's chemical properties. “I wish I could say we’re up here in Canada growing kilos of gold everyday.”
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