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DOE OSTI · 3021940

Protein engineering for critical metal recovery beyond REEs

Park, Dan [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]
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Abstract

Achieving decarbonization and electrification goals will require expanded production of critical minerals (CM), including Li, Co, Cu, rare earths, Ni, and graphite, whose supply chains are geopolitically vulnerable. Problematically, current extraction and separation processes pose severe environmental burdens that impede the development of a diversified domestic supply chain and undercut the environmental benefits of energy technologies [1, 2]. The development of efficient, economical, and environmentally sustainable processing technologies is thus important for meeting the CM demand of the emerging energy technology market. To this end, we have recently developed an all-aqueous protein-based process for rare earth element (REE) extraction and separation. To extend our protein-based approach to critical metals beyond REEs, the goal of this project was to develop a protein discovery and engineering pipeline to generate a panel of proteins that selectively bind target critical metals.

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESBiological and medical sciences

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Park, Dan [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]. 2026-03-06. Protein engineering for critical metal recovery beyond REEs. https://doi.org/10.2172/3021940

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