Critical Need
REEs are integral metals for clean energy, advanced communication and transportation, consumer electronics, and defense technologies, underpinning the broader economy and national security. To satisfy increasing demand, the United States relies heavily on foreign importation of REE, and domestic production is precariously limited due to the heavy environmental and human burden of mining, extraction, and processing. REE extraction from complex and waste sources, as well as reuse and recycling, will be essential to developing a resilient supply chain and generating independence from foreign importation while keeping pace with increasing demand.

Technology Vision
Microbes continue to amaze with their potential for chemical transformation at industrial scales. RareTerra is developing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly bio-platform for selective extraction, separation, and purification of REEs from complex and waste sources. RareTerra leverages the power of genetic and metabolic engineering to unlock the remarkable capacity of microbes to separate REEs from other metals and bioaccumulate them. RareTerra’s platform eliminates the most hazardous and destructive steps of REE production, reducing manufacturing costs and community burden. By targeting waste sources as feedstocks, we will reinvigorate the U.S. REE economy while positively impacting the environment.

Potential for Impact
While nobody wants a mine in their backyard, mining will continue to increase globally to keep up with demands for critical minerals, including REE. We can lessen the negative societal and environmental impacts by extracting as much value from a single mine as possible, reducing acid mine drainage, and removing heavy metals from water and waste. By developing clean, sustainable bio-processes for targeted, non-acidic mineral extraction, RareTerra will reduce the burden on communities and facilitate the clean energy transition.