New tools to unearth rare metals

A new understanding of how volcanic processes form deposits of rare earth metals, vital to everyday modern technology, is revealed in a new study from the University of St Andrews.

Environmentally hazardous coal waste diminished by citric acid

In one of nature's unexpected bounties, a harmless food-grade solvent has been used to extract highly sought rare-earth metals from coal ash, reducing the amount of ash without damaging the environment and at the same time ...

Bacteria enlisted in French push for rare earths autonomy

As Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on China for the rare earth metals needed for modern batteries and electronics, French researchers have found a potentially potent ally: bacteria that can help extract the elements from ...

Lab 3-D prints microbes to enhance biomaterials

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3-D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, ...

Unlocking the power of a molecule's spin

Behind the devices that shape modern life is an array of natural and human-made materials. One such component of smartphones and computers are rare earth metals, a group of 17 elements that, because they aren't found in concentrated ...

New sources for rare metals vital in modern technology

Research led by the Universities of St Andrews and Brighton reveals newly discovered sources for rare earth metals vital in modern technologies such as renewables production, mobile phones, laptops and televisions.

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