Bio-recovery of rare earth elements from Australian soils and mine tailings

该项目旨在发现微生物如何溶解含有在现代技术中广泛使用的有价值的稀土元素的耐候磷酸盐矿物。这一发现将利用宏基因组学、微生物学和矿物学技术的创新组合，在生物地球化学和生物湿法冶金等跨学科领域创造新的知识。预期的研究成果包括新的、更经济和环境可持续的生物技术，用于回收稀土元素和增加澳大利亚矿藏和土壤中的磷有效性。这些成果将有利于采矿业和农业部门，减少澳大利亚对海外稀土供应的依赖和化肥的使用。

This project aims to discover how microbes dissolve weathering-resistant phosphate minerals that contain valuable rare earth elements used widely in modern technology. This discovery would create new knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of biogeochemistry and biohydrometallurgy, using an innovative combination of techniques in metagenomics, microbiology and mineralogy. Expected research outcomes include new, more economic and environmentally sustainable biotechnologies for recovering rare earth elements and increasing phosphorus availability in Australian mineral deposits and soils. These outcomes should benefit the mining and agricultural sectors, by decreasing Australia's dependency on overseas REE supply and the use of fertilizers.