source:miningIn a recent paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers at ETH Zurich describe the discovery of lanpepsy, a protein which specifically binds lanthanides – or rare earth elements – and discriminates them from other minerals and metals.Because of their similarity to other metal ions, the purification of REE from the environment is cumbersome and economical only in a few locations. Knowing this, the scientists decided to explore biological materials with high binding specificity for lanthanides as mechanisms that could offer a way forward.The first step was to...
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source：innovationnewsnetworkAs the global shift to green energy takes shape, it is increasingly advantageous to move to a circular economy where resources are recycled and reused. Rare earth elements (REEs), which are crucial to this clean transition, are typically mined from an open pit which can negatively impact the environment. This seems counterproductive, and it is, therefore, important that another way to extract these metals is found.Now, German scientists from the Technical University of Munich have found a new method that allows for rare earth elements to be recycled efficiently. The...
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source:sciencedailyThe study, published this week in the journal RSC Advances, also provides new understandings of the occurrence and behaviour of cerianite in natural deposits. The research also expands our knowledge about the exploration, exploitation, and extraction of rare earth minerals (REEs). In addition, the findings have implications for biomedical research, the production of carbon neutral technologies and the material sciences.Adrienn Maria Szucs, PhD researcher in Geochemistry, Trinity, and lead author of this study explained:'We killed two birds with one stone because we found...
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source:phys.orgRare-earth elements, also known as lanthanides, are, contrary to what the name suggests, not rare. They are, however, challenging to purify from the environment. Only in the past few years, it became evident that life has found solutions to harness these elements for itself. In a recent paper, the Vorholt lab describes the discovery of lanpepsy, a protein which specifically binds lanthanides and discriminates them from other elements.Lanthanides are essential metals for today's technologies, including electronic devices such as smart phones. Their mining is associated with p...
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