Learning from nature: recovery of rare earth elements by the extremophilic bacterium Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum .

Helena SingerRobin SteudtnerIgnacio SottorffBjörn DrobotArjan PolHuub J M Op den Camp Lena J Daumann

Published in: Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) (2023)

We present the extremophilic bacterium Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV as a platform for the recovery of rare earth elements (REE). Strain SolV is able to selectively extract the light REE from artificial industrial waste sources, natural REE-containing and post-mining waters. Upscaling, different media composition and accumulation over several cycles were successfully implemented, underlining the potential for bio-recovery of REE.

Keyphrases

heavy metals
wastewater treatment
high throughput
climate change
municipal solid waste