STTR Phase I: Membrane Biofilm Reactor for Recovery of Valuable Metals

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to use a biotechnology based Membrane Biofilm Reactor (MBfR) to recover valuable materials, including platinum group metals (PGM), Rare Earth Elements (REE), and other critical minerals and materials (CMM) using the natural metabolic processes of bacteria. These materials are used in battery and energy storage, semiconductor manufacturing and other industries. The demand for some of these valuable materials is likely to increase by as much as 4000% by 2040 and the USA is dependent on other countries for some of these products. Limited supply of PGM and REE is exacerbated by processing and recycling facilities losing ≥10% of the total market value of these materials in their wastewaters. The MBfR directly addresses this loss by recovering up to 99% of the lost PGM and REE as solid nanoparticles. Based on the concentration of valuable metals and co-contaminants in water samples provided by valuable-metals recyclers, a conservative 90% recovery of precious metals using the MBfR may generate more than six times the return on investment (ROI) for the customer in the first year. This project may help mitigate risks associated with materials shortages and moderate costs as demand continues to increase. The recovery of these materials from wastewaters may also avoid serious hazards to human and ecosystem health associated with their discharge. This STTR Phase I project is organized into five objectives through which the company seeks to quantify the reduction and precipitation kinetics in relation to their hydrogen-delivery capacity. The company will also characterize the metal and mineral nanoparticles according to their chemical composition, purity, and size, as this affects how they can be used in industry. The objectives of the project include: continuous recovery of PGM and REE using the MBfRs, solid-state characterization of recovered PGM and REE in the MBfRs; characterization of PGM/REE-recovering biofilms in the MBfRs, and the development of a techno-economic analysis and technology-to-market strategy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.