Engineering yeast to sustainably recover rare earth elements

Rare earth elements are critical components of clean energy technologies — from electric vehicles to wind turbines to computer chips — but sourcing them relies on mining and refining methods that are energy-intensive and generate toxic waste. This project will develop a biological alternative: the Lanthanide Extraction and Sensor System (LESS), which engineers common baker's yeast to detect, capture, and separate rare earth elements from unconventional sources like industrial waste and mine drainage. Unlike existing methods that require harsh acids and complex chemical processes, LESS uses a highly selective naturally occurring protein and the readily recyclable compound urea to recover these materials under gentle conditions. The goal is to transform a toxic environmental hazard into a domestic supply of critical materials.

Above: Active dry yeast in a bowl. Image credit: Liudmila Chernetska / iStock