Research by scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation recently revealed the discovery of trace amounts of gold in the leaves of eucalyptus trees in western Australia, a phenomenon that could possibly lead to the discovery of gold deposits close by.
According to the study, the gold is in the water that the trees pull up through their roots to the leaves. Though similar phenomena have been previously documented with other metals, Environmental Sciences Prof. Manuel Lerdau said the gold is deposited much deeper, at approximately 30 feet underground.
“There are many plants that take up low levels of metals [such as] cadmium or arsenic,” Lerdau said. “However, I don’t know of much previous work that looks at metals being pulled up from such great depth.”
Although the amount of gold in the leaves themselves would not trigger a gold rush — it has been estimated that it would take 500 eucalyptus trees to extract the amount of gold needed for one wedding band — the new discovery is leading to new technologies for mineral exploration and extraction.
Lerdau said being able to use plants as an indicator of gold sources prevents unnecessary drilling deep into the ground, reducing cost and damage to the environment.
“Gold mining is one of the most environmentally destructive things possible,” he said. “It makes fracking look like planting a garden.”
Lerdau, however, cautioned against becoming too optimistic, saying the use of plants to locate gold would likely lead to equally destructive outcomes. “We are using nature to provide places where it will be destroyed,” he said.
Although only slightly focused on gold, a number of studies currently being conducted at the University focus on plant’s uptake of different metals, including one by Lerdau, who is studying the presence of arsenic in plants.
Lerdau’s work focuses on plants called hyperaccumulators — plants that are placed in the ground to pull out toxic metals in hopes of preserving the soil and other plants.
“Plants are very good at accumulating toxic things,” he said. “In the U.S., mercury, for example, is coming out of the atmosphere and soil and getting into the water. When [mercury] moves through the land surface, plants provide an avenue for control, a way to control toxic amounts of metals.”
Though the amount of gold found in the eucalyptus trees is not very significant, the discovery provides new avenues for exploration of plant uptake of valuable metals. “I was actually a little surprised that nobody had thought to look at plant take up of a metal like gold before,” Lerdau said.
Read More
Board of Visitors’ Health System Board approves University Medical Center contracts and credentials
By Lexie Stadler | March 3, 2024The University requested approval from the Board on proposed contracts with Cardinal Health LLC, a pharmaceutical company that will provide CAR T-cell therapies — a therapy used to treat cancer.
Virginia Senate passes bill to legalize medically-assisted deaths in 21-19 vote
By Zackary Holt and Caroline Hagood | February 26, 2024The House, which also holds a democratic majority, has referred the bill to the Committee for Courts of Justice for further consideration.
U.Va. Remote Area Medical chapter focuses on increasing healthcare access
By Saumya Sharma | December 13, 2023RAM members volunteer at clinics across the Southeast to provide free healthcare to local communities.
