Inorganic Materials Biotechnology: A New Industrial Measurement Challenge

Biotechnological processing of inorganic, heavy elements has only begun to emerge as we start to understand microbial strategies and mechanisms of heavy element transformations. Chemical speciation of key, diagnostic intermediates and products of bioprocessing in gas, liquid, and cellular phases, and on surfaces, is required to understand and optimize important reactions. Recent discoveries of microorganisms in metal-enriched thermal environments, and further investigations into production of exocellular metal transforming metabolites, offer exciting prospects for development of new technologies for strategic and precious materials recovery and processing.