With the increasing demand for rare earth elements (REE) in many emerging clean energy technologies, there is an urgent need for the development of new approaches for efficient REE extraction and recovery. As one step towards this goal, we genetically engineered the aerobic bacterium <i>Caulobacter crescentus</i> for REE adsorption through high-density cell surface display of lanthanide binding tags (LBTs) on the S-layer. The engineered LBT-displayed strains exhibited enhanced and specific adsorption towards REE compared to other metals, as well as adsorption preference of heavy- versus light- REE.  Additionally, adsorbed REE could be effectively recovered using citrate, with adsorption fully recycled multiple times.  Together, our results demonstrated a rapid, efficient and reversible process for REE adsorption with potential industrial application towards REE enrichment and separation.

Enhanced bioadsorption of rare earth elements through cell surface display of lanthanide binding tag

251st National Meeting (2016)

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