Bacterium from oak trees could help process rare earth elements

A bacterium found in English oak buds can help separate out the rare earth elements used in technologies such as electric cars and wind turbines.

Originally published by Jeremy Hsu, on 31 May 2023
 

Oak buds contain a useful bacterium for separating rare earth elements
Getty Images/Anna Hedderly

A bacterial protein found in English oak buds could be used to more efficiently process the rare earth elements needed for different technologies.

Rare earth elements are used in products such as smartphone and TV screens, electric vehicle motors and wind turbines. Natural deposits of these elements can be found and mined in multiple countries. But the industrial separation facilities necessary for processing them use an energy-intensive method that typically requires hundreds of steps and uses many toxic chemicals – something that could be simplified through the natural shortcuts provided by a certain class of bacteria.

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