Copper accumulation by bacteria, moulds and yeasts.

The accumulation of copper by 137 strains of bacteria, 47 moulds and 14 yeasts, isolated from contaminated environments or obtained from culture collections, has been investigated with a view to obtaining a strain suitable for removing dissolved copper from effluents. The criteria sought were a relatively high uptake of copper together with an ability to grow without a lag and without any marked increase in the doubling time when exposed to moderately high concentrations of the metal. Organisms isolated from sites known to be contaminated with copper has low uptakes, the best strain, subsequently identified as a strain of Escherichia coli, being obtained from a site contaminated with cadmium, chromium and zinc.