3 research outputs found
Effect of hot desert weathering on the bulk-rock iron isotope composition of L6 and H5 ordinary chondrites
Exploring the microbial biotransformation of extraterrestrial material on nanometer scale
Space station biomining experiment demonstrates rare earth element extraction in microgravity and Mars gravity
Microorganisms are employed to mine economically important elements from rocks,
including the rare earth elements (REEs), used in electronic industries and alloy production.
We carried out a mining experiment on the International Space Station to test hypotheses on
the bioleaching of REEs from basaltic rock in microgravity and simulated Mars and Earth
gravities using three microorganisms and a purposely designed biomining reactor. Sphingomonas desiccabilis enhanced mean leached concentrations of REEs compared to non-biological
controls in all gravity conditions. No significant difference in final yields was observed
between gravity conditions, showing the efficacy of the process under different gravity
regimens. Bacillus subtilis exhibited a reduction in bioleaching efficacy and Cupriavidus
metallidurans showed no difference compared to non-biological controls, showing the
microbial specificity of the process, as on Earth. These data demonstrate the potential for
space biomining and the principles of a reactor to advance human industry and mining
beyond Earth