Inspired by nature, proteins pick out mission-critical metals

Rare-earth elements are essential for many electronic, energy and advanced defense technologies. In particular, they are required for key national defense systems as well as permanent magnets in cell phones.

However, most of the mining and processing of rare-earth elements happens in China, and establishing a domestic supply chain is a priority. Turns out, advanced biomining techniques resulting from technology transfer could do just that.

A research collaboration between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) has generated a portfolio of intellectual property (IP), jointly owned by both organizations, that uses bacterial proteins to pick out critical metal ions.  

“We’re taking inspiration from nature,” said LLNL scientist Dan Park. “There’s a subset of bacteria that naturally need to mine rare earth [elements] for an enzyme that enables their growth. So, they've evolved these pathways to selectively recover and separate them.”

Collaborators at Penn State, led by Prof. Joseph Cotruvo, Jr., discovered and characterized several specific proteins within the bacteria that attract rare-earth elements and differentiate between them. These are both important features, as the elements have very similar properties and occur in the same deposits of material. While essential for their use in technology, it is typically energy intensive and costly to separate rare-earth elements.

Penn State researchers then made a large amount of these proteins, and LLNL researchers immobilized them in columns and developed separation processes with a range of prospective rare-earth element feedstocks.

LLNL has licensed its interest in the joint IP to advanced biochemistry start-up Alta Resource Technologies for commercialization of the resulting technology to transform mineral separation. Similarly, Penn State is negotiating a license agreement with Alta for its interest in the joint IP.

Alta plans to develop the technology at scale — recently raising $5.1 million in seed funding in addition to nearly $1 million in grant funding from the federal government, including the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The result could decrease the footprint of mining and is an example of how LLNL’s mission-based work can impact U.S. economic competitiveness through technology transfer.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see our emerging rare earth bioseparation technology progress this far — bridging the gap between scientific innovation and real-world impact,” said LLNL scientist Yongqin Jiao. “Partnering with Alta, a team that shares our vision and passion for delivering critical minerals in an economical and sustainable way, is a significant milestone. This collaboration exemplifies how scientific excellence at the Lab can translate into solutions that advance national missions.”

The work of the LLNL-Penn State team doesn’t stop here, though. The team has since gone on to characterize and test a broader range of potentially useful proteins. They are examining their data with machine learning and hope to expand the approach from rare-earth elements to other critical materials.

“In addition to looking at what nature has provided, we're also very interested in in doing our own engineering,” Park said. “Now that we have a better understanding of how the protein works, can we make better versions?”

Other LLNL team members include Yongqin Jiao, Ziye Dong, Jeremy Seidel, Patrick Diep, Christina Kang-Yun and Gauthier Deblonde. External collaborators include Joseph Cotruvo, Jr. and his group at Penn State. This work was sponsored by the Critical Materials Innovation Hub, an Energy Innovation Hub funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office, the U.S. DOE Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Separation Science program, and by the DARPA EMBER program.

LLNL’s Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) Business Development Executive Yash Vaishnav negotiated the license agreement with Alta Resource Technologies. IPO is the focal point for LLNL’s engagement with industry and aims to accelerate U.S. competitiveness by identifying new economic opportunities and solutions as well as transferring those to the private sector through licensing or partnerships.

–Ashley Piccone and Melissa Lewelling