{
  "id": 8943617,
  "title": "Q&A: Tiny spores for a big critical minerals challenge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/q-a-tiny-spores-for-a-big-critical-minerals-challenge",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-21T15:00:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-qa-tiny-spores-big-critical.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are developing a method to extract rare earth elements (REE) from acid mine drainage using bacterial spores. These spores are engineered to display proteins that bind to REEs, allowing them to be captured from liquid waste streams. The project, called Spore Platform for REE Recovery (SpoREE), aims to create a highly efficient process for recovering and converting REE into valuable materials while reusing the spores.\n\nThe researchers are leveraging the unique properties of bacterial spores, which are robust, scalable, and engineerable. These spores can withstand harsh conditions, such as dehydration, temperature changes, and chemical exposures, making them suitable for filtering metals from acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage is a significant issue in regions like Appalachia, where coal mines produce large volumes of acidic water with low concentrations of rare earth elements.\n\nThe SpoREE project combines biological engineering, AI-aided protein design, advanced imaging, and chemical analysis to create a customizable platform for capturing and separating critical minerals. By modifying the proteins displayed on the spore surfaces, researchers hope to target other critical materials, such as gallium, in the future. The project has already achieved several milestones, including the development of an analytical pipeline to evaluate different biological designs and the use of AI tools to advance REE-binding protein design.",
  "summary": "Scientists at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are exploring how durable, customizable bacterial spores could capture rare earth elements (REE) from acid mine drainage and other metal-containing waste streams. The project supports new methods of sourcing critical minerals essential for the nation's economic strength and national security.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}