Metal uptake and separation using magnetotactic bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria align themselves with the Earth´s magnetic field enabling them to navigate towards their ideal environment in sediments of ponds, streams or rivers in which they live. A magnetotactic spirillum has been used to study uptake and separation of various heavy metals from solution at low ppm levels. By applying a low, focusing magnetic field, metal loaded magnetotactic bacteria can be forced to swim in a required direction. This paper discusses the use of magnetotactic bacteria in low magnetic field “orientation separation”. This encompasses the efficiency of various sizes of orientation separators and the effect of different metals on bacterial motility