Theses and Dissertations Collection

Biosorption is an inexpensive alternative to mining for rare earth elements (REEs) at trace concentrations. Organisms possessing high specificity for REEs need identification but screening for these organisms is a slow process. This study focused on characterizing sorption of REEs to Cupriavidus necator for evaluating DEP as a platform for rapidly screen organisms that hyperaccumulate metals (OHMs) for biosorption. C. necator accumulated europium, neodymium, and samarium at 11.34, 15.98, and 57.82 billion atoms per cell, respectively. Increased biosorption for the REEs was observed at reduced pH and increased temperatures. No selectivity was observed between REEs, though increased uptake was observed by samarium in presence of europium and neodymium. Optimum operating conditions for a DEP device would occur at lower pH values and higher temperatures for REE retention in biosorbent. Application of OHMs in waste streams allows for the recovery of trace metal concentrations at a low environmental impact and cost.