A game-changing new startup has developed a new method for extracting rare earth metals from e-waste, per TechCrunch. Once salvaged from discarded electronics, these recycled components can power new electronics — and benefit the planet.
Alta Resource Technologies developed a biochemical process that uses velcro-like proteins to collect precious metals like neodymium, praseodymium, and cerium from electronic waste. As TechCrunch explains, these elements have electric and magnetic properties that are key to many electronics, including hard drives and headphones.
Though called "rare earth metals," the moniker is somewhat misleading. These metals are abundant on Earth, yet they are only found scattered — not concentrated — in certain parts of the globe. Due to their small deposits, these metals are very difficult and expensive to mine and refine into usable components. Invasive metal mining can destroy habitats, contaminate water and soil, and release toxins into the air.
All of this complexity makes these metals extremely expensive. As TechCrunch outlines, many rare earth metals sell for tens of thousands of dollars per metric ton.
China is the largest producer of these precious metals, while the U.S. only has one rare earth metal mine. And this Chinese monopoly on rare earth metals can be politically problematic. TechCrunch explains the Chinese government uses these metals "as bargaining chips in tit-for-tat trade disputes with the U.S." It's a reality that hasn't escaped governmental concern — as TechCrunch reports, the U.S. Department of Defense has made securing such elements "a key part of its industrial strategy."
Alta Resource is working toward developing a way to extract in-demand elements "more efficiently than current refining techniques," according to TechCrunch. Current extraction methods are lengthy and rely on toxic chemicals. Alta Resource, on the other hand, uses a series of custom-designed proteins to latch onto rare earth metals for more effective extraction.
"Our technology leverages specially engineered proteins that can bind to specific metals with unprecedented selectivity…" Nathan Ratledge, co-founder and CEO of Alta Resource Technologies, said in a press release. "We can unlock vast untapped mineral resources here at home, strengthening our supply chains, and national security while setting a new standard for environmentally responsible mining."
Alta Resource says that for complex extractions, like pulling rare earth metals from e-waste, proteins offer advantages over chemicals.
"When things are less complex, chemicals can tend to win because chemicals are cheaper," Ratledge told TechCrunch. "And when things are more complex, biology tends to shine because of the selectivity. The trick is harnessing biology in the right way."
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Grocery stores 🛒 In Alta Resource's process, the custom-designed proteins are attached to a resin and loaded into an extraction column through which solutions containing rare earth elements percolate. The proteins then extract the rare earth metals out of the solution. Once extracted, the column is flushed to release the metals.
The new extraction process is already gaining support from investors — and even the government. Alta Resource has already raised a $5.1 million seed round, according to TechCrunch. The startup has also secured about $1 million in grant funding from the government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the state of Colorado.
Alta Resource plans to build a pilot-scale plant this year to further its innovation. Ratledge told TechCrunch he "has reasonable conviction" that the federal government will fund some of the cost of this plant, showing potential large-scale support in the emerging tech.
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