NSF Award
2318122
Critical metals such as nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and others are necessary components in batteries and other electronic devices. Demand for these metals is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades. Obtaining reliable domestic sources for these critical metals is needed to support the green economy and continued national economic development and security. Traditional mining approaches are energy intensive and generate chemical waste that can harm local and global environments. Innovative and sustainable methods are urgently needed to obtain valuable metals from mines and other untapped sources. Used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) represent a potentially rich and growing source of critical metals. The goal of this project is to implement a novel approach to capture and recover scarce metals from waste LIBs using biofluids from fungi combined with advanced electrochemical techniques. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to identify efficient metal biomining compounds using a chemistry model, use metabolic engineering to enhance compounds used for biomining, and optimize the biomining conditions to develop a scalable process. Techno-economic and life cycle assessments (TEA/LCA) will be used to determine which process is economically viable and environmentally beneficial. The ethical, legal, and social implications of the work will be addressed through the support of community education and engagement as well as an examination of ethical and legal issues involving biomining with fungi. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of fundamental knowledge to advance the use of bioacids to recycle valuable metals from LIBs for reuse. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of four graduate students at Johns Hopkins University and one graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).<br/><br/>A sustainable, bio-based mining technology for metal extraction and recovery is needed to address the growing need for these metals in electronic devices. The goal of this project is to enhance the extraction of valuable metals, nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) from used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), using robust fungal hosts (Aspergillus spp.). Fungi from the genus Aspergillus secrete bioacids and other metallophores that can help solubilize metals from solid wastes. Using models of chemical interactions between fungal metabolites and different metal ions, bioacids and metallophores will be identified that are effective for solubilizing Co and Ni. Optimization of fungal metabolic pathways, upstream bioleaching, and downstream purification (driven by electrochemical stimuli) will be implemented to maximize metal recovery. In addition, different carbon sources will be investigated, including lignocellulosics or cyanobacterial partners, to reduce the cost of bioacid production and enhance process sustainability. These steps will then be combined into an integrated biomining manufacturing platform. The biomining approach will be evaluated through techno-economic and life cycle assessments (TEA/LCA) and the underlying social, ethical, and legal implications considered to ensure the proposed biomining platform is environmentally sound, economically viable, and fully integrated with the local community. The successful completion of this research with advance the fundamental understanding of the biological and engineering framework needed to develop biomining systems for the recovery of valuable metals from electronic wastes. To implement the education and training goals of the project, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to engage with a local high school, the Baltimore City Community College, and an after-school program, Adelante Latina, for Latina high school students to provide a summer research program through an existing Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) at Johns Hopkins University and UMBC. In addition, the team plans to partner with a local elementary/middle school and the Johns Hopkins University Office of Sustainability to collect rechargeable LIBs to be used in the research.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
