Bacteria Extract Rare Earth Elements from Wastewater

Rare earths are extremely scarce. It can take decades before recently discovered deposits are ready for mining. All the more encouraging is an invention by researchers from Munich and Kaiserslautern, which allows commodities such as terbium oxide and neodymium oxide to be extracted from industrial wastewater. They rely on so-called cyanobacteria for this.

The unique characteristic of these bacteria is their robustness and their preference for inhospitable habitats. They can be found, for example, in deserts and South African rock crevices, as well as in soda lakes and polluted streams. Their survival capabilities make cyanobacteria ideal candidates for raw material extraction under extreme conditions. Thus, they could extract Rare Earth Elements from industrial wastewater in sectors such as mining, electronics, or the manufacturing of chemical catalysts.

The bacteria can recover up to 10% of their own dry mass in Rare Earth Elements. They achieve this by using negatively charged sugar compounds to draw the positive metal ions from the water. The researchers then separated the bacterial mass from the metal and were even able to reuse the bacteria.

With their discovery, the researchers are certainly making a significant contribution to the supply security of our industry. They help to retain commodities within the country that are urgently needed for the construction of wind turbines, batteries, catalysts, fiber optic cables, and plasma screens. To date, the majority of Rare Earth Elements still have to be imported from China, which results in a vulnerable supply chain.

However, to keep critical commodities within the country, they must first arrive there. This is where the golden opportunity for investors arises. By investing in Rare Earth Elements, they not only support European industry but can also look forward to attractive returns, including tax-free purchases and tax-free profits after a one-year holding period.