# : “Developing Biotechnologies for Detection and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements”

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/w81ewf-22-soi-0036-developing-biotechnologies-for-detection-and-recovery-of/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/341664

> Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers offered grants of up to $350,000 to the applicants described in the notice. Applications closed on August 19, 2022.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | W81EWF-22-SOI-0036 |
| Agency | Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | August 19, 2022 |
| Award ceiling | $350,000 |
| Award floor | not stated |
| Expected awards | not stated |
| Total funding | not stated |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 12.630 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This opportunity is restricted to non-federal partners of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).

## What the grant funds

Background: Rare earth elements (REE) are critical components of many advanced technologies including magnets in hard drives and components of lasers. Of the 17 rare earth elements, 16 (cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium and yttrium) are designated critical minerals and are present in different combinations and concentrations depending on the primary (e.g. ores, red mud, geological deposits) and secondary (e-waste, coal ash and landfill leachate) sources of the critical minerals. Of these 16, all except for cerium and lanthanum, are in undersupply. Individual REE are used in different combinations to develop advanced technologies necessitating the isolation of elements from primary and secondary sources and the purification of defined REE mixtures or individual elements. However current approaches are energy and solvent intensive and do not easily separate the different REE from each other. Biotechnology applications such as bioleaching and biosorption are promising approaches for REE recovery but require further research and development to increase selectivity, efficiency, cost effectiveness and scalability. Brief Description of Anticipated Work: Required Work Objectives: This project will develop novel microbes with increased capability to dissolve and capture REE from solid sources such as crushed ore and e-waste. The project will also examine approaches to increase the selectivity and affinity of biomolecules for different REE. Additionally, the project will investigate different technologies/approaches that improve scalability of REE recovery processes (e.g. concentration and monitoring of REEs during processing). The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop methods that accelerate our ability to recover individual or discrete mixtures of REE from domestic primary and secondary sources. Objective 1: Increase the selectivity and affinity of biomolecules for different REE. Create semi-synthetic platforms for specific lanthanide-binding, with the reliance on modification of proteins and spores using designed chemical structures for chelation moieties. These platforms should improve the concentration of lanthanides by spores and proteins, while providing methods for tuning protein/spore affinity and selectivity.

## Questions people ask

### Is W81EWF-22-SOI-0036 still open?

No. It closed on August 19, 2022. A newer notice is open: W912HZ26S0001, closes January 1, 2027 (55 days left).

### Who can apply for : “Developing Biotechnologies for Detection and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements”?

Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for : “Developing Biotechnologies for Detection and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements”?

Closed August 19, 2022. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $350,000 each.

### Who has won Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Battelle Memorial Institute, Msi Stem Research & Development Consortium, University of California San Diego. The program made 1,101 awards worth $1.3 billion in that time.