Bacteria Could Be a Surprising “Ally” in Humanity’s Fight Against Climate Change.
This is the assertion made by scientists from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), who have successfully used bacteria to extract important rare metals in the development of green technology.
Workers sorting electronic waste in a factory in India (Photo: Getty Images).
These bacteria are so crucial that without their assistance, humanity could run out of raw materials needed to manufacture components such as turbines, electric cars, and solar panels.
“If we end our reliance on fossil fuels and use electricity for heating, transportation, and energy supply… then we will increasingly depend on metals,” explained Professor Louise Horsfall, the lead researcher.
“All types of photovoltaic batteries, drones, 3D printers, hydrogen fuel cells, wind turbines, and engines for electric cars require metals. Many of these are very rare metals.“
According to The Guardian, the research focuses on extracting lithium, cobalt, manganese, and other minerals. These primarily come from old batteries and used electronic devices.
To achieve this, the research team takes waste from electric and automotive batteries, then dissolves it and uses bacteria as a catalyst. After some time, the bacteria attach to the metals in the waste and precipitate them as solid chemicals.
Initially, the research team successfully extracted manganese, a vital metal in industrial alloys, particularly stainless steel.
They then sequentially performed the same process with nickel, lithium, cobalt… These metals, once removed from old electronic waste, can be used as components for new batteries or devices.
“We need to reuse rare minerals whenever possible. Otherwise, we will quickly find ourselves in a state of material depletion,” Professor Louise Horsfall shared.
In the future, Professor Horsfall and her team plan to use genetically modified versions of bacteria to further increase metal extraction yields.
