Accumulation of rare earth elements on biogenic iron oxides: implication for the recovery of rare metals by biominerals

• Project/Area Number: 18K14172
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 31020:Earth resource engineering, Energy sciences-related
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kikuchi Sakiko 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 超先鋭研究開発部門(高知コア研究所), 研究員 (50758852)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
• Keywords: 水酸化鉄 / 鉄酸化菌 / レアアース / バイオミネラル / REY / XAFS / zeta-potential

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To understand adsorptive ability of biogenic iron oxyhydroxides (BIOS) to rare earth elements (REY), this study (i) measured the concentrations of REY in BIOS collected from various environmental conditions and (ii) characterized mineralogical properties of BIOS. We show that BIOS, especially those collected from groundwater discharge points, contained high concentrations of REY. BIOS had a negative surface charge at environmental pH, suggesting that the BIOS are electrostatically favorable for the accumulation of cationic REY.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

バイオミネラルや微生物機能を活用した有用元素の回収は、既存の物理・化学プロセスと異なる省エネルギーかつ環境に優しいバイオテクノロジーとして注目されている。本研究から得られた天然におけるレアアースの濃集および濃集メカニズムを基に固相・液相を最適化することで、今後さまざまな水環境からレアアースを効率的・選択的に回収できる方法の提示につながると期待される。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Experimental chondrite-water reactions under reducing and low-temperature hydrothermal conditions: Implications for incipient aqueous alteration in planetesimals (2022)
  • Author(s): Sakiko Kikuchi, Takazo Shibuya, Mariko Abe, Katsuyuki Uematsu
  • Journal Title: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Volume: 319 Pages: 151-167
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2021.11.006
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Thermodynamic Constraints on Smectite and Iron Oxide Formation at Gale Crater, Mars: Insights into Potential Free Energy from Aerobic Fe Oxidation in Lake Water-Groundwater Mixing Zone (2021)
  • Author(s): Kikuchi Sakiko、Shibuya Takazo
  • Journal Title: Minerals Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Pages: 1-22
  • DOI: 10.3390/min11040341
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Modern precipitation of hydrogenetic ferromanganese minerals during on-site 15-year exposure tests (2020)
  • Author(s): Usui A., Hino H., Suzushima D., Tomioka N., Suzuki Y., Sunamura M., Kato S., Kashiwabara T., Kikuchi S., Uramoto G.-I., Suzuki K., Yamaoka K.
  • Journal Title: Scientific Reports Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-10
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60200-5
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Molecular-scale insights into differences in the adsorption of cesium and selenium on biogenic and abiogenic ferrihydrite (2019)
  • Author(s): Kikuchi Sakiko、Kashiwabara Teruhiko、Shibuya Takazo、Takahashi Yoshio
  • Journal Title: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Volume: 251 Pages: 1-14
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2019.02.001
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] Formation conditions of magnetite and hematite in Sheepbed mudstone and bioavailable energies in lake water-groundwater mixing zone in Gale crater (2021)
  • Author(s): 菊池早希子，渋谷岳造
  • Organizer: JpGU 2021
• [Presentation] 室内実験と熱力学計算から予測する隕石母天体におけるコンドライトの水変質プロセス (2020)
  • Author(s): 菊池 早希子, 渋谷 岳造
  • Organizer: JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2020
• [Presentation] 初期火星のハビタビリティ (2019)
  • Author(s): 菊池早希子、渋谷岳造
  • Organizer: 第44回生命の起源および進化学会学術講演会