Perhaps of interest...
________________________________
From: Stojanoff, Vivian
Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 6:23 PM
To: Energy Sciences Directorate ; EBNN Directorate
Cc: Stojanoff, Vivian
Subject: CBMS Lecture Series - Barstow; December 10
You are cordially invited to join the Center for Biomolecular Structure Lecture Series ………..
Buz Barstow
Cornell University
https://urldefense.us/v3/__http://www.vanderzanden-lab.com__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!... <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.vanderzanden-lab.com/__;!!P4SdNyxKAPE... >
WEDNESDAY, December 10, 13:30 (EST)
"The Microbe-Mineral Atlas and Biomining Critical Elements”
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://bnl.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/2erL_tvD...
Time conversion Link: https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!... <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fwww.worldtimebuddy.com*2F&data=05*7C01*7Cgenoa.blankenship*40pnnl.gov*7C67ffe754733240e42d3e08da641ba4bc*7Cd6faa5f90ae240338c0130048a38deeb*7C0*7C0*7C637932367171794987*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C&sdata=aSe2IUSomjge9ZW6zXdQ81fPzxpg8eawtRkoiOEJdXM*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!P4SdNyxKAPE!Fd5kIAbibocFpkUaEbpqZZGm8tw-xiqb5oC4sfOklv6Kbbf-T3RvUobMSLrzyXNbfNVT9vMxJGuY1RsSqbc6MjpIABre1Q$ >
Abstract: Creation of a new sustainable energy infrastructure, carbon sequestration, advanced electronic and computer technologies, and advanced defense technologies all mean that the demand for metals is increasingly rapidly. But traditional mining technology can be highly environmentally damaging. This means that the supply chains for many critical metals and semiconductors stretch through unstable parts of the world, leaving them vulnerable to disruption and exploitation.
Biomining with Acidithiobacillus species already supplies about 20% of the world’s copper and 5% of its gold through an iron-specific redox process. However, there are no industrially-used microbes for any of the 30 or 40 other critical elements. This means that we will need to build microbes to enable bioprocesses to mine these elements with synthetic biology. However, we do not understand the basic science of how microbes interact with metals and minerals sufficiently to guide this engineering.
My lab has characterized the genome of the mineral-dissolving microbe Gluconobacter oxydans and discovered the genetic systems that enable it to mine rare earth elements. We have used this new knowledge to create a roadmap for engineering G. oxydans that has already improved biomining of REE by up to 1,200%. Furthermore, we engineered the hyper-engineerable microbe Vibrio natriegens to separate adjacent heavy lanthanides, leap-frogging solvent extractions.
However, this still leaves over 20 other critical elements that we need build microbes for. To build the basic knowledge for this, my lab has started the Microbe-Mineral Atlas to catalog metal and mineral-interacting microbes from around the US, and hopefully the world.
Finally, I will discuss some of the barriers that our current model of technology transfer poses to development of new technologies, what we have done to solve this problem, and some recent successes in starting REEgen for biomining rare earth elements, and Forage Evolution to develop hyper-engineerable microbes.
=================
Vivian Stojanoff, PhD
Education, Training, Outreach
User Program
p 1(631) 344 8375
e lifescience@bnl.govmailto:lifescience@bnl.gov
w https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://www.bnl.gov/ps/lifesciences/__;!!G_uCfscf... <https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://www.bnl.gov/ps/lsbr/__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!dds... >
Address:
Center for Biomolecular Structure
National Synchrotron Light Source II
Building 745
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Upton NY 11973
________________________________
To unsubscribe from the CCPEM list, click the following link:
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCPEM&A=1__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!dds_VMSdENqWGXvKqL2S0_exEC1YdYwbK1WQKAPMjaP-SseECQ_6pYVBRM9XxW1hybYd9skD6iDkJjvxitNJgBNHmetWvlGmYg$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCPEM&A=1__;!!P4SdNyxKAPE!ER5XDnkeGcz1xOZOWZgkzZrW_IbypHVH5CMjhA-34KhMPjsUZccjZDUZtMrQ7Z1ti6P4yvCWsCaETU7VbC89FXyMlkrx9WEqj5M$ >
