Recently, Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how gold forms. Traditionally, it was believed that precious metals like gold accumulate slowly under high temperature and pressure deep within the Earth. However, a research team led by the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has discovered that under certain conditions, gold can actually ‘grow’ on the Earth’s surface through microbial activity.In soil samples from a gold mine in Australia, researchers observed specific bacteria capable of reducing soluble gold compounds into metallic gold particles, which then deposit as tiny but visible gold crystals on the bacterial cell surfaces. This process resembles biomineralization and suggests microbes may play a crucial role in the secondary enrichment of natural gold deposits.This discovery not only challenges conventional views of gold formation but also opens new avenues for eco-friendly mining and environmental remediation. For instance, such ‘gold-producing’ microbes could potentially be harnessed to recover gold from electronic waste or low-grade ores, reducing reliance on traditional, highly polluting smelting processes.The findings have been published in the prestigious international journal Nature Communications, marking a significant step forward for China in the interdisciplinary field of geobiology and resource science.
近日，中国科学家在黄金形成机制研究方面取得突破性进展。传统观点认为，黄金等贵金属主要通过地质过程在地球深处高温高压环境下缓慢富集而成。然而，由中国科学院广州地球化学研究所领衔的研究团队发现，在特定微生物作用下，黄金可以在地表环境中“生长”出来。研究人员在澳大利亚一处金矿的土壤样本中，观察到某些细菌能将溶液中的可溶性金化合物还原为金属金颗粒，并在其细胞表面沉积，形成微小但可见的金晶体。这一过程类似于生物矿化，表明微生物可能在自然金矿的次生富集过程中扮演关键角色。该发现不仅挑战了人们对黄金形成的传统认知，也为绿色采矿和环境修复提供了新思路。例如，未来或可利用这类“产金”微生物从电子废弃物或低品位矿石中回收黄金，减少对传统高污染冶炼工艺的依赖。这项研究成果已发表于国际权威期刊《自然·通讯》，标志着中国在地球生物学与资源科学交叉领域的前沿探索迈出重要一步。
原创文章，作者：admin，如若转载，请注明出处：https://avine.cn/18709.html