All rare earth elements articles
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Bacterial protein discovered and engineered to better separate rare earth metals
A newly discovered protein naturally houses an unusual binding site that can differentiate between rare earth elements, and researchers have made it even better.
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Little bacterium may make big impact on rare-earth processing
Scientists show that genetically engineering Vibrio natriegens could improve the efficiency for the purification of elements found in smartphones, computers, electric cars and wind turbines, and could even boost global economic supply chains.
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Metal-loving microbes could replace chemical processing of rare earths
Scientists have characterized the genome of a metal-loving bacteria with an affinity for rare earth elements, paving the way towards replacing the harsh chemical processing of these elements with a benign practice called biosorption.
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Bioleaching bacteria exploit cracks to form biofilms on REE rocks
Bioleaching bacteria home in on and around grooves and crevices in rare earth element-bearing rocks and form biofilms, potentially offering a route to making the process more efficient, a new study shows.
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Oak bud bacterium could pave way to sifting out rare earths
A protein found naturally in a bacterium isolated from English oak buds shows strong capabilities of differentiating between rare earths.
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Geoactive fungus mines rare earth elements from monazite ore
Researchers have demonstrated that geoactive fungi can play a significant role in bioweathering of the phosphate mineral monazite, opening a route to biorecovery of important rare earth elements (REEs).
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12 exotic bacteria found to passively collect rare earth elements from wastewater
Scientists have shown that the biomass of some exotic photosynthetic cyanobacteria can efficiently absorb rare earth elements (REEs) from wastewater, to be collected for reuse.