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Extracting metals from low-grade ores is usually a tricky business, but some bacteria have no problems with it. The metal industry is using these microbes to make their mines both green and profitable. In 1947 US microbiologists discovered that micro-organisms could be used to extract copper from copper ore. The leaching of copper by micro-organisms Bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferro-oxidans and Thiobacillus thio-oxidans they obtain energy by oxidising Fe2+ ions and S2- ions. The S2- ions are present in insoluble minerals of copper, zinc and lead. The oxidation of the S2- ions liberates the copper and this valuable metal can be collected. The mining industries are starting to use these methods to extract copper from lower grade materials. The tailings from conventional mining are piled up in an area where the ground has been made impermeable. Then it is sprayed with an acidic leaching solution containing T. ferro-oxidans and T. thio-oxidans. The bacteria...

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