CRREL researcher earns scholarship to advance rare-earth elements recovery
China, who dominates the global supply chain, has begun tightening export controls, so the U.S. has prioritized sourcing its own REEs for the sake of national security. But mining and refining REEs is costly, complex and environmentally damaging, and the U.S. lacks the proper infrastructure.
To combat this challenge, a U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) researcher is working on expanding U.S. REEs supplies by developing a more cost-efficient and environmentally sensitive process to separate and purify these highly sought-after metallic elements.
Dr. Warren Kadoya, a research physical scientist at ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, was awarded a research award by the U.S. Department of War to study whether biofilms – dense communities of bacterial cells – can be used to separate and purify REEs from discarded electronics and existing mining waste streams.
“Increasing domestic processing capabilities would take many years, but waste streams from mining and industry offer an untapped source of REEs that could help bridge the gap and improve U.S. supply chain resilience,” said Kadoya. “Current methods of purifying REEs involve chemical solvent extraction requiring hundreds of steps and is highly resource intensive. Biological methods offer a more sustainable alternative with a lower energy footprint and minimal hazardous byproducts.”
This project will investigate the capacity of biofilms, communities of bacterial cells encased in a protective matrix, to separate heavy and light REEs, specifically dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd), commonly found in strong magnets used in motors and munitions. The hypothesis is that Dy and Nd can be separated from solution when exposed to a sequence of biofilms comprising bacterial cells with different bonding affinities for the two REEs.
If successful, mining, separating and refining REEs using biofilms would cost less and use fewer toxic chemicals. That would boost U.S.-based REEs production while reducing the country’s reliance on foreign providers.
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