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DOE OSTI · 3030078

Developing a one-step, acid-free microbial process to recover and separate REE (CRADA Final Report)

Sonsteng, Melanie [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)]·Good, Nathan [RareTerra Inc., Berkeley, CA (United States)]
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Abstract

The project aimed to develop and test microbial strains for increased bioleaching, bioconcentration, and/or bioaccumulation of REEs, and for enhanced separation of REEs from other metals and of individual REEs from one another. The team secured and tested unconventional REE feedstocks to evaluate strains/processes for bioleaching, bioconcentration, and bioaccumulation, including but not limited to wastewater, geothermal brines, red mud, and electronic waste. purified and chemically analyzed REE granules from the microbial platform; determined metabolite and biosynthetic impacts of growth with REEs and the composition of extracellular material(s) produced by platform strains; optimized the growth process with alternative carbon feedstocks to reduce the cost of the fermentation process; and scaled the process from 1 mL to 10 L.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

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Sonsteng, Melanie [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)], Good, Nathan [RareTerra Inc., Berkeley, CA (United States)]. 2026-04-02. Developing a one-step, acid-free microbial process to recover and separate REE (CRADA Final Report). https://doi.org/10.2172/3030078

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