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Virus-Based Thermoresponsive Separation of Rare-Earth Elements
Inseok Chae1,2, Ju-Yeon Park3, Irene Suhjin Lee4
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Nano Letters
|October 17, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a virus-based platform for rare-earth element (REE) recovery. This sustainable method uses temperature changes for selective separation, offering a greener alternative for critical metal extraction.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial for clean energy, defense, and electronics.
- Current REE separation methods are environmentally taxing due to chemical similarities and harsh conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sustainable and selective method for REE recovery.
- To engineer a virus-based platform for REE separation under aqueous conditions.
Main Methods:
- Genetically engineered filamentous bacteriophage displaying lanthanide-binding peptides (LBPs) and thermoresponsive elastin-like peptides (ELPs).
- Utilized temperature modulation for coacervation and REE separation.
- Demonstrated the recyclability and selectivity of the biomolecular platform.
Main Results:
- Achieved selective recovery of heavy REEs (HREEs) over light REEs (LREEs).
- Demonstrated temperature-triggered phase transition for REE separation.
- Maintained metal selectivity over multiple cycles, indicating recyclability.
Conclusions:
- The virus-based platform offers a sustainable and tunable strategy for next-generation hydrometallurgy.
- This biomolecular approach provides an environmentally friendly alternative for REE recovery.
- The platform's modularity allows for adaptation to other metal targets.
