Project Description
The research for 2026 will be focused on our collaborative NSF grant with University of Pittsburgh and Hedin Environmental. Rare earth elements, also known as “critical minerals” are those we need for the upcoming energy transition as we move away from carbon-based energy to renewables. You may have heard of a lot of interest in deep sea ocean nodule mining for these REEs – and of the unknown impact that may have on that important ecosystem. These deep sea ocean nodules bind REEs because they are comprised of Mn oxides, known as “the scavengers of the sea.” As it turns out, acid mine drainage contains a lot of rare earth elements, and a by product of acid mine drainage remediation is the precipitation of manganese oxides thanks to the help of manganese oxidizing fungi. We are investigating whether we can take these Mn oxide mineral byproducts of AMD remediation and put them upstream where the water has high concentrations of REEs and extract these REEs in economically viable amounts. We are pairing these field experiments with lab-based experiments, growing the same fungi in our lab that are responsible for manganese oxide biomineralization, and reacting them with REEs to see a) how much of the REEs are removed from solution and b) how? Are they binding to the Mn oxides or to the fungal biomass? The work this summer will better our understanding of whether remediating REEs and Mn from AMD in this way can address the need for domestic sources of critical minerals by enhancing reclamation from AMD discharges rather than creating additional environmental degradation by mining REE ores or seafloor dredging of deep-sea nodules, ideally providing economic incentive for the treatment of AMD-impacted waters, resulting in cleaner, more ecologically diverse streams and rivers.
Prerequisites
None
Special Comments
Project Information (subject to change)
Estimated Start Date: 6/22/2026
Estimated End Date: 8/14/2026
Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks
Maximum Number of Students Sought: 5
Research Location: Hybrid
Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Pittsburgh, PA to acid mine drainage field sites, toward the end of the summer. )
Contact Information: Margaret Anne Hinkle (email: hinklem@wlu.edu)