Deep sea bugs may munch mining costs, researchers say

CSIRO scientists explore undersea chimney areas on the seabed of Manus Basin, north of Papua New Guinea, looking for sea creatures that can aid Australia's mining industry

By Environmental News Network staff

April 18, 2000
Web posted at: 2:34 p.m. EDT (1834 GMT)

CSIRO scientists boarded the research vessel Franklin on Friday in search of sea creatures that might lend a helping hand to Australia's $37 billion mining industry.

The mission? To comb the deepest depths of the Pacific Ocean for life forms that feed on minerals containing copper, gold and nickel.

Such organisms, endowed with the natural ability to process minerals at high temperatures, could be useful in processing minerals on land. "When times are tough in the minerals industry, the miners who survive are the ones who can obtain pure minerals for the lowest cost," said Bruce Hobbs, chief of CSIRO Exploration and Mining.

Hobbs believes the deep sea bugs will enable Australia's miners to exploit lower-grade ore deposits, extract metals more cheaply, clean up waste streams and even improve mine safety.

The Franklin will be used to search the murky landscape of smoking undersea chimneys that pump minerals from deep in the Earth's mantle into the surrounding ocean.

According to microbiologist Peter Franzmann, the deep sea organisms that live there are possibly relatives of some of the earliest forms of life to emerge on the planet, more than 3 billion years ago.

"Back then, conditions were similar to what we now see in these seafloor hydrothermal vents - high temperatures, intense pressure, lots of volcanic activity, darkness, with the nutrients to sustain life pouring out of the Earth itself," he said.

CSIRO scientists are conducting their research aboard the Franklin

"The minerals are pouring out of the Earth in fluids at temperatures of 300-400 degrees Celsius into the much colder sea water. The bugs live right where the superheated fluid meets the sea and the temperatures are between 80 and 110 C at pressures around 150 atmospheres."

While similar mineral-eating bugs exist on land - and are used in some mining industries - the researchers expect these "extremophile" bacteria to be able to process mineral ores far more efficiently.

Previously, scientists have discovered that the deep sea bugs can survive the trip to the surface and be grown in the laboratory. Following the Franklin expedition, researchers will test their productivity in large-scale mining operations.

"I love this stuff - it's almost totally unexplored," Franzmann said. "The potential for finding new and interesting kinds of life is enormous."

Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

Nature - Ocean graveyards tell whales of stories
February 28, 2000
Sea life enchants, but faces human threats
August 30, 1999
Marine reserve established off Australia
June 16, 1999

Microbes move into environmental limelight
Scientists study oceans of bacteria
Microbes studied to predict mining's impact
Probe seeks life in extreme environments
Ocean graveyards tell whales of stories
Scientists getting to know heat tolerant worms

CSIRO Year of the Ocean
National Science Foundation

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.