Researchers have learned how to produce copper using bacteria

Researchers explained that copper remains one of the most sought-after metals for production

objects in everyday life.It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity in wires, roofing and plumbing, and as a catalyst in petrochemical plants, solar and electrical conductors.

At the same time, the process of metal extraction often leads totoxic effects and problems in extracting significant volumes of copper for commercial use. The Copper Development Association Inc. estimates that there are about one billion tons of copper in the world, of which about 12.5 million metric tons are mined per year.

Part of the supply problem stems from the limited availability of copper in the earth's crust. At the same time, during mining and smelting, people are exposed to sulfur and nitrogen dioxide.

In their work, scientists have shown that there are alternative methods of copper mining. For example, bacteria can convert copper sulfate ions to metallic copper.

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Research results show that the newthe conversion process can be an alternative to the production of single copper atoms. It is safer and more efficient than existing methods such as chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and femtosecond laser ablation.

“So far we have only worked with one bacterium, but,perhaps, not only it performs a similar function, scientists say. "The next step in this research will be to extract copper from these cells and use it for practical applications."

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