 Bacteria can mine for metals, clean oil spills, purify gold, and use radioactive elements for energy.The very first recognized biomining system was published in 1951 when Kenneth Temple PhD discovered that "Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans" thrives in iron, copper and magnesium rich environments.In Temple's experiment, "A. ferrooxidans" was inoculated into media containing between 2,000 and 26,000 ppm ferrous iron.