Toxic Metal-Breathing Bacteria May Bring New Solutions to Industry

A bizarre bacteria that breath toxic metal to survive may be a useful tool for industry and environmental protection, according to a new study.

These newly identified bacteria thrive upon elements notoriously toxic to humans, such as antimony and arsenic. The organisms thrive on the noxious components in place of oxygen, an ability that lets them survive buried in mud along the banks of a remote salt lake near Yosemite National Park.

"Just like humans breathe oxygen, these bacteria respire poisonous elements to survive," said the University of Georgia's Chris Abin, author of a paper describing the research published journal Environmental Science & Technology. "It is particularly fond of arsenic, but it uses other related elements as well, and we think it may be possible to harness these natural abilities to make useful products out of different elements."

The bacteria may go on to have industrial applications, Abin and his colleagues suggest, because the antimony ore the organisms survive on goes through a chemical change into antimony trioxide as the bacteria respirate which makes the element suitable for making "plastics, vulcanized rubber, flame retardants and a host of electronic components including solar cells and LEDs," the University of Georgia wrote in a news release.

Antimony trioxide can be expensive, hazardous and time-consuming to make, so finding a bacteria that does the work on its own could be a boon for certain industries.

The antimony trioxide crystals produced by this bacterium are far superior to those that are currently produced using chemical methods," said James Hollibaugh, a principal investigator for the project. "We tested the crystals we made alongside commercially available products that are 99 percent pure, and ours is either of identical or superior quality."

The bacteria could also be used in other ways, including treating wastewater from mining operations and refineries for other dangerous elements

Preliminary tests have shown that contaminants including selenium and tellurium can be removed by the bacteria.

"The bacteria could be used simply to clean up the water, but it might also be possible for the bacteria to help humans recover and recycle the valuable elements in the water," Hollibaugh said.

However, more research must be done before any of these potential applications is ready to real-world use.

"We believe this technology represents a feasible solution to many kinds of environmental contamination, but it also is useful for producing important commodities such as antimony trioxide, elemental selenium and tellurium," said Gennaro Gama, a senior technology licensing manager at UGA.