EFRI ELiS: Bacteria-Bacteriophage Hybrid System for Rare Earth Element Biomining

稀土元素(REE)被用作各种基本产品和清洁能源技术的关键部件，包括智能手机、医疗成像设备(MRI)、太阳能电池、电动汽车、风力涡轮机和发光二极管(LED)。在美国，用于商业产品和工业应用的90%以上的稀土是通过开采、提取和加工原始矿石在海外生产的。然而，稀土开采具有严重的环境足迹，因为它需要大量的能源和水，并产生大量的废物。该项目的总体目标是探索开发一种可持续地从国内矿石、矿藏和废物中提取、分离和浓缩稀土的综合生物采矿工艺。为了推进这一目标，首席研究人员建议设计和建造一种混合细菌和工程噬菌体系统，该系统可以1)从已处理的矿石、矿物和固体废物中提取稀土，以及2)从产生的浸出液中分离出稀土，以生产工业用的纯净稀土精矿。这项研究的成功完成将通过产生新的基础知识来促进可持续提取和提纯稀土的下一代生物采矿工艺的开发，从而使社会受益。通过教育和培训将为社会带来更多好处，包括指导加州大学伯克利分校的两名研究生和一名博士后研究员，以及亚利桑那大学的两名研究生。美国很容易受到稀土元素供应中断的影响，稀土元素已成为一系列基本工业产品和清洁能源技术的关键组成部分。因此，迫切需要通过可持续地开采和加工国内稀土矿藏来减少该国对进口稀土的依赖。这项研究的目标是开发一种新的生物湿法冶金工艺，该工艺由一个集成的细菌和工程噬菌体(噬菌体)杂交系统组成，该系统可以可持续地从矿石中生物浸出稀土，并从浸出液中分离/浓缩稀土。为了以经济有效和可持续的方式回收稀土，合成生物学方法将与工程甲基营养细菌相结合，以选择性地生物积累稀土作为磷酸盐，并改造大肠杆菌生产用于生物浸出的有机酸。这项研究的具体目标是：(1)发现和设计负责稀土结合和运输的蛋白质；(2)设计与稀土结合的噬菌体，以选择性分离稀土；(3)将工程菌与噬菌体整合，建立混合稀土提取系统；(4)调查拟议的新稀土生物开采过程的社会、经济、政治和环境影响。这项研究的成功完成可能会对生物采矿产生变革性的影响，开发出经济高效、环境可接受的工艺，从已处理的矿石和废物中提取、分离和浓缩稀土。为了实现这个项目的教育和培训目标，首席调查人员建议利用各自机构的现有计划和资源来开发和实施两个计划，包括本科生生物学/生物工程/生物挖掘研究(REU)计划和HELP(BIO-RUSH)计划，这是一个旨在招收和指导K-12学生和来自代表性不足群体的本科生/研究生的教育/外展STEM计划。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Rare earth elements (REEs) are utilized as critical components in a broad range of essential products and clean energy technologies including smart phones, medical imaging equipment (MRI), solar cells, electrical vehicles, wind-turbines, and light emitting diodes (LEDs). In the United States, over 90% of the REEs used in commercial products and industrial applications are produced overseas through the mining, extraction, and processing of virgin ores. However, REE mining has a heavy environmental footprint as it requires significant amounts of energy and water and generates substantial amounts of wastes. The overarching goal of this project is to explore the development of an integrated biomining process for the sustainable extraction, separation, and concentration of REEs from domestic ores, mineral deposits, and waste materials. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigators propose to design and build a hybrid bacterial and engineered bacteriophage system that could 1) extract REEs from processed ores, minerals, solid wastes, and 2) separate the REEs from the resulting leaching solutions to produce purified REE concentrates for industrial usage. The successful completion of this research will benefit society through the generation of new fundamental knowledge to advance the development of next generation biomining processes for the sustainable extraction and purification of REEs. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through education and training including the mentoring of two graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and two graduate students at the University of Arizona.The United States is vulnerable to disruptions in its supply of rare earth elements (REEs) which have become the critical components of a broad range of essential industrial products and clean energy technologies. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce the Nation’s reliance on imported REEs by sustainably mining and processing domestic deposits of REEs. The goal of this research is to develop a novel bio-hydrometallurgical process consisting of an integrated bacterial and engineered bacteriophage (Phage) hybrid system that could sustainably bioleach REEs from their ores and separate/concentrate the REEs from the leaching solutions. To recover REEs in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, a synthetic biology approach will be integrated with engineered methylotrophic bacteria to selectively bioaccumulate REEs as phosphates and to engineer E. coli to produce organic acids for bioleaching. The specific objectives of the research are to: (1) Discover and design the proteins that are responsible for the binding and transportation of REEs; (2) Engineer phage for REE binding for the selective separation of REEs; (3) Integrate the engineered bacterial strains with phage to build a hybrid REE extraction system; and (4) Investigate the social, economic, political, and environmental implications of the proposed new REE biomining process. The successful completion of this research has the potential for transformative impact on biomining through the development of cost-effective and environmentally acceptable processes to extract, separate, and concentrate REEs from processed ores and waste materials. To implement the educational and training goals of this project, the Principal Investigators propose to leverage existing programs and resources at their respective institutions to develop and implement two programs including a Biology/Bioengineering/Biomining Research for Undergraduate Student (REU) program and Help (BIO-RUSH), an education/outreach STEM program designed to recruit and mentor K-12 students and undergraduate/graduate students from underrepresented groups.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.