Rare earth elements in biology: From biochemical curiosity to solutions for extractive industries

Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical for our modern lifestyles and the transition to a low‐carbon economy. Recent advances in our understanding of the role of REEs in biology, particularly methylotrophy, have provided opportunities to explore biotechnological innovations to improve REE mining and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbial biotechnology 2024-06, Vol.17 (6), p.e14503-n/a
Main Authors: Rocha, Raquel A., Alexandrov, Kirill, Scott, Colin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Bacteria - chemistry
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - metabolism
Binders
Biology
Biosensors
Biotechnology
Biotechnology - methods
Carbon
Cytochrome
Dehydrogenases
Metals
Metals, Rare Earth - chemistry
Metals, Rare Earth - metabolism
Mini Review
Mini Reviews
Oxidation
Phylogenetics
Proteins
Rare earth elements
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Summary:Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical for our modern lifestyles and the transition to a low‐carbon economy. Recent advances in our understanding of the role of REEs in biology, particularly methylotrophy, have provided opportunities to explore biotechnological innovations to improve REE mining and recycling. In addition to bacterial accumulation and concentration of REEs, biological REE binders, including proteins (lanmodulin, lanpepsy) and small molecules (metallophores and cofactors) have been identified that enable REE concentration and separation. REE‐binding proteins have also been used in several mechanistically distinct REE biosensors, which have potential application in mining and medicine. Notably, the role of REEs in biology has only been known for a decade, suggesting their considerable scope for developing new understanding and novel applications. To meet society's demands for technologies that use rare earth elements (including those that allow a decarbonized society), we need to increase the volume and efficiency of extraction by mining and recycling. Microbial rare earth biochemistry offers numerous enabling biotechnologies to achieve this.
ISSN:1751-7915
1751-7915
DOI:10.1111/1751-7915.14503