Mpeta, MirandaTendenedzai, Job T.Tichapondwa, Shepherd MasimbaChirwa, Evans M.N.2026-03-252026-03-252026-06Mpeta, M., Tendenedzai, J.T., Tichapondwa, S.M. & Chirwa, E.M.N. 2026, 'Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles by a mining- adapted bacterial consortium : physicochemical properties and environmental applications', Materials Today Sustainability, vol. 34, art. 101333, pp. 1-16, doi : 10.1016/j.mtsust.2026.101333.2589-2347 (online)10.1016/j.mtsust.2026.101333http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109281DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data that support the findings of this paper are openly available in University of Pretoria Research Data Repository.Please read abstract in the article. HIGHLIGHTS • Media type (broth, MSM, and water) influenced nucleation differing AuNP size. • 60-70 nm range constituted the highest frequency of biosynthesized AuNPs at 23%. • Dose-dependent inhibition of Enterococcus spp. strongest at 50 μg/mL AuNPs. • AuNPs raised Degussa rate constant: 1.67 × under visible light, 2.5 × under sunlight.en© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Biosynthesized nanoparticlesCatalytic propertiesAntimicrobial activityUV-Vis spectroscopyTransmission electron microscopy (TEM)X-ray diffraction (XRD)Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)Dynamic light scattering (DLS)Article