Dr. Mirkouei is an Associate Professor at University of Idaho (UI), Forbes sustainability contributor, certified Professional Engineer (PE), and experienced Technologist.
Mining minerals from natural deposits is costly in both economic and environmental aspects. The key competitive advantage of local mining and extraction is its ability to produce high-concentration intermediate sources in close proximity to raw minerals, like rare earth elements .
Idaho is endowed with an abundance of critical minerals, especially REEs. Still, many of these mineral occurrences have not yet been developed into economic deposits that the United States can reliably count on. Most of Idaho’s REE occurrences lie along a northwest-trending line, extending more than 70 miles across central Idaho from Lemhi Pass, through Diamond Creek, to the Mineral Hill district before crossing the Idaho-Montana state line.
Bioleaching is the process of solubilizing metals using organic acids or the metabolic/enzymatic activity of microorganisms. Bioleaching has been studied extensively for extracting precious metals and has been used successfully in the mining industry. Although laboratory studies have applied various bioleaching techniques to extract and separate REEs, none of these methods have been commercially utilized in producing REMs.
Sustainable and locally sourced extraction pathways aim to enhance national security and environmental responsibility. Bioleaching of REE can potentially provide a sustainable alternative to traditional, chemical-intensive methods. Also, bioleaching could be applied to recycling REEs from old electronics , contributing to a more circular and environmentally conscious approach to these critical materials.
United States Idaho Rare Earth Elements Organic Acid Leaching Bioleaching Phytomining Sustainable Low Emission Rare Earth Metals
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