Editing Extremophile (section)

=== Acid mine drainage ===
[[File:Acid mine drainage comparison.jpg|thumb|Before (left) and after (right) a cleanup project of the [[Little Conemaugh River]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=US EPA |first=REG 03 |date=2016-09-09 |title=Actions Eliminate Long-Time, Major Acid Mine Discharge |url=https://www.epa.gov/pa/actions-eliminate-long-time-major-acid-mine-discharge |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[Acid mine drainage]] is a major environmental concern associated with many metal mines. This is due to the fact that this highly acidic water can mix with groundwater, streams, and lakes. The drainage turns the pH in these water sources from a more neutral pH to a pH lower than 4. This is close to the acidity levels of battery acid or stomach acid. Exposure to the polluted water can greatly affect the health of plants, humans, and animals. However, a productive method of remediation is to introduce the extremophile, [[Thiobacillus ferrooxidans|''Thiobacillus'' ''ferrooxidans'']]. This extremophile is useful for its bioleaching property. It helps to break down minerals in the waste water created by the mine. By breaking down the minerals ''Thiobacillus ferrooxidans'' start to help neutralize the acidity of the waste water. This is a way to reduce the environmental impact and help remediate the damage caused by the acid mine drainage leaks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US EPA |first=OW |date=2015-09-15 |title=Abandoned Mine Drainage |url=https://www.epa.gov/nps/abandoned-mine-drainage |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Acid Mine Drainage |url=https://earthworks.org/issues/acid-mine-drainage/ |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Earthworks |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Valdés |first1=Jorge |last2=Pedroso |first2=Inti |last3=Quatrini |first3=Raquel |last4=Dodson |first4=Robert J |last5=Tettelin |first5=Herve |last6=Blake |first6=Robert |last7=Eisen |first7=Jonathan A |last8=Holmes |first8=David S |date=December 2008 |title=Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans metabolism: from genome sequence to industrial applications |journal=BMC Genomics |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=597 |doi=10.1186/1471-2164-9-597 |doi-access=free |issn=1471-2164 |pmc=2621215 |pmid=19077236}}</ref>