Method for recycling metals

摘要

A method for recycling metals is provided by using extracellular proteins excreted by a specific thermophilic bacteria strain, Tepidimonas fonticaldi sp. nov., in which the extracellular proteins show excellent metal-ion binding ability, being useful in recycling rare earth metal ions and precious metal ions from geothermal fluids, boiler solutions, industrial wastewater or hard water.

主权项

1. A method for recycling metals, comprising:
culturing an isolated thermophilic bacterial strain in a culture medium; separating the thermophilic bacterial strain from the culture medium, wherein the culture medium comprises a mixture of extracellular proteins excreted by the thermophilic bacterial strain; concentrating the culture medium to a concentration of 50 ppm extracellular proteins, thereby obtaining a concentrated culture medium; contacting a volume of the concentrated culture medium with an equal volume of a liquid comprising metal ions, thereby forming a complex of the metal ions and the extracellular proteins, wherein the metal ions are from a metal to be recycled; collecting the complex of the metal ions and the extracellular proteins; adding a desorption agent to the complex of the metal ions and the extracellular proteins; wherein the isolated thermophilic bacterial strain is Tepindimonas fonticaldi sp. nov., internationally deposited in the Korean Collection of Type Culture (KCTC) with deposit number of KCTC 12528BP, wherein the desorption agent is selected from the group consisting of nitrilotriaceic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and a combination thereof.