Composition for extraction of metal ions and oxanions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the selective extraction of the metals gold, silver, platinum or mercury ions or colloidal gold, from an aqueous solution containing at least one of these metal ions which comprises contacting the solution, at a pH of 2 or less, with cells or cell extracts of a microorganism capable of binding these metals for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to allow binding of the metals to the cells or cell extracts. It also relates to a method of selectively recovering gold, silver, platinum or mercury ions or gold (0) from a metal-containing aqueous solution containing at least one of gold, silver, platinum or mercury ions or gold (0) which comprises contacting the solution, under metal-binding conditions, with cells or cell extracts of microorganism capable of binding gold, silver, platinum, or mercury ions or gold (0), for a period of time sufficient to allow binding of metals; adding, under eluting conditions, a sulfur containing ligand to the cells to selectively elute gold, silver, platinum or mercury ions or gold (0), and recovering an eluate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.