| Title | Microbial Mining |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Gordon Southam(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0373.28 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0373/chapters/10.11647/obp.0373.28 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Gordon Southam |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2024-04-08 |
| Long abstract | With the discovery of a wide range of biological processes affecting metal cycling on Earth, biotechnology is receiving increased attention from the mining industry. The diverse genetic responses of microbes to high metal concentrations metals offer a win-win opportunity, providing exploration targets and new approaches to bioremediation of metal pollution through the enhanced recovery of critical metals. This essay considers how biotechnology could be harnessed across the mining life cycle to improve the discovery and extraction of ore deposits, and the recovery and treatment of potentially hazardous wastes. |
| Page range | pp. 211–218 |
| Print length | 8 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Gordon Southam is a Professor of Geomicrobiology, cross-appointed between the School of the Environment and the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research on bacteria-mineral interactions crosses the traditional boundaries between biological and geological sciences to examine bacterial transformations of materials composing the earth’s crust, and the impact of these transformations over geologic time. He has conducted field studies across the globe examining life in extreme environments, from hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, the Canadian high arctic and Antarctica, to ultradeep gold mines in South Africa, iron mines in the Amazon Rainforest, and deep-sea ocean environments. He was previously appointed as a Canada Research Chair in Geomicrobiology, and Director of the Environment and Sustainability program at Western University, Canada.