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

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使用基于生物技术的膜生物膜反应器（MBfR）来回收有价值的材料，包括铂族金属（PGM），稀土元素（REE）和其他关键矿物和材料（CMM）使用细菌的自然代谢过程。这些材料用于电池和储能、半导体制造等行业。 到2040年，对其中一些有价值材料的需求可能会增加4000%，而美国对其中一些产品的需求依赖于其他国家。PGM和REE的有限供应因加工和回收设施在其废水中损失这些材料的总市场价值的≥10%而加剧。 MBfR通过将高达99%的损失的PGM和REE以固体纳米颗粒形式回收来直接解决这种损失。根据有价金属回收商提供的水样中有价金属和共污染物的浓度，使用MBfR回收贵金属的保守90%可能会在第一年为客户产生超过六倍的投资回报（ROI）。 该项目可能有助于缓解与材料短缺相关的风险，并随着需求的持续增加降低成本。 从废水中回收这些物质还可避免因其排放而对人类和生态系统健康造成严重危害。 STTR第一阶段项目分为五个目标，该公司试图通过这些目标量化与其氢输送能力相关的还原和沉淀动力学。 该公司还将根据其化学成分，纯度和尺寸来表征金属和矿物纳米颗粒，因为这会影响它们在工业中的应用。该项目的目标包括：使用MBfRs连续回收PGM和REE，固态表征MBfRs中回收的PGM和REE; MBfR中PGM/REE回收生物膜的表征，和技术经济分析和技术发展，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.