Gold cycle

Biogeochemical cycle of gold showing major reservoirs and fluxes of gold in the environment. The fluxes shown with blue and brown arrows representing fluxes that build reservoirs in the hydrosphere and lithosphere, respectively. All units shown are in Mg for reservoirs and Mg/yr for fluxes.[1]

The gold cycle is the biogeochemical cycling of gold through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Gold is a noble transition metal that is highly mobile in the environment and subject to biogeochemical cycling, driven largely by microorganisms.[2] Gold undergoes processes of solubilization, stabilization, bioreduction, biomineralization, aggregation, and ligand utilization throughout its cycle.[3] These processes are influenced by various microbial populations and cycling of other elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Gold exists in several forms in the Earth's surface environment including Au(I/III)-complexes, nanoparticles, and placer gold particles (nuggets and grains). The gold biogeochemical cycle is highly complex and strongly intertwined with cycling of other metals including silver, copper, iron, manganese, arsenic, and mercury.[2] Gold is important in the biotech field for applications such as mineral exploration, processing and remediation, development of biosensors and drug delivery systems, industrial catalysts, and for recovery of gold from electronic waste.[2]

  1. ^ Bowen, H. J. M. (1985), Bowen, H. J. M.; Frevert, T.; Grant, W. D.; Kratz, G. (eds.), "The Cycles of Copper, Silver and Gold", The Natural Environment and the Biogeochemical Cycles, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol. 1 / 1D, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 1–27, doi:10.1007/978-3-540-39209-5_1, ISBN 978-3-540-39209-5, retrieved 2021-03-21
  2. ^ a b c Sanyal, SK; Shuster, J; Reith, F (2019). "Cycling of biogenic elements drives biogeochemical gold cycling". Earth-Science Reviews. 190: 131–147. Bibcode:2019ESRv..190..131S. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.12.010. hdl:2440/124335. ISSN 0012-8252. S2CID 134009834.
  3. ^ Southam, Gordon; Lengke, Maggy F.; Fairbrother, Lintern; Reith, Frank (2009). "The Biogeochemistry of Gold". Elements. 5 (5): 303–307. Bibcode:2009Eleme...5..303S. doi:10.2113/gselements.5.5.303. ISSN 1811-5209.