Selenium and tellurium concentration by organic materials

硒（Se）和碲（Te）是稀有（半）金属元素，通常作为化学提取其他金属的副产品回收。该方案将利用这些元素与有机材料之间的密切关系来瞄准额外的资源，并以更可持续、更环保的方式提取资源。Se/Te最集中于含有机质的岩石中（如煤、富碳页岩、含油渣砂岩或煤质）。我们也知道微生物（细菌）的活动可以浓缩硒/碲。我们试图利用这些知识，通过研究已知由微生物硫酸盐还原形成的金属硫化物矿石来预测以前未被识别的Se/Te浓度，基于这些微生物也可能产生Se/Te浓度。更重要的是，我们将努力提高我们对微生物如何与岩石和土壤中的Se/Te相互作用的了解，以制定有价值规模的Se/Te微生物浓度策略。为了实现这一目标，该项目结合了来自地质学、土壤科学、化学和微生物学的硒/碲跨学科专业知识。催化阶段包括数据收集，并从两个现场进行试点采样，一个在爱尔兰西南部，那里有一些世界上最富硒的土壤，另一个在苏格兰，那里的金矿及其周边地区的Te含量很高，需要开采Te以确保经济可行性。我们得到了拥有金矿的Scotgold Resources公司和投资组合包括金属资源管理的国际公司Stantec的支持。

Selenium (Se) and Tellurium (Te) are scarce (semi)metallic elements usually recovered as by-products of the chemical extraction of other metals. The proposal will exploit close relationships between these elements and organic materials to target additional resources, and extract resources in a more sustainable, environmentally sensitive manner.Se/Te are most concentrated in rocks containing organic matter (e.g. coals, carbon-rich shales, sandstones containing oil residues or coaly matter). We also know that microbial (bacterial) activity can concentrate Se/Te. We seek to use that knowledge to predict previously unrecognized concentrations of Se/Te by study of metal sulfide ores which are known to have been formed by microbial sulfate reduction, on the basis that these microbes could have also engendered Se/Te concentration. More significantly, we will try to advance our knowledge of how microbes interact with Se/Te in rocks and soil, to develop a strategy for the microbial concentration of Se/Te on a valuable scale. To achieve this the project combines interdisciplinary expertise on Se/Te from geology, soil science, chemistry and microbiology.The catalyst stage involves data gathering, and pilot sampling from two field sites, one in SW Ireland where some of the most Se-rich soils in the world occur, and in Scotland where a gold mine and its environs have elevated levels of Te, and the Te needs to be exploited to ensure financial viability. We have the support of Scotgold Resources, who own the gold mine, and Stantec, an international company whose portfolio includes management of metal resources.