Summary
A Nature commentary argues that shared pilot facilities and stronger links between research and industry are needed to scale microbial methods for recovering metals from ores, mine residues and discarded electronics. The authors point to established bioleaching and newer protein-based separation methods, while identifying deployment infrastructure as a major obstacle.
A Nature commentary published on 10 November 2026 argues that microbial methods could help recover critical minerals from ores, mine residues and discarded electronics—but that shared pilot and demonstration facilities are needed to move promising processes beyond laboratory trials. The authors call for governments, industry, development banks and philanthropic funders to support the infrastructure and partnerships required for industrial testing.
The piece is a policy argument, not a new experimental study. Its authors draw on discussions at the International Workshop on Biomining of Critical Minerals and Elements, held in Sitges, Spain, in September 2025. They say the main obstacle is increasingly the gap between scientific progress and industrial deployment.
How microbes and biomolecules can recover metals
Bioleaching and biooxidation already have industrial applications in recovering copper, nickel, gold and cobalt from ores. In these processes, specialist microorganisms produce chemicals—including acids or compounds that affect oxidation and reduction reactions—that dissolve selected metals or other minerals. The processes can be applied to heaps of crushed ore or to ground mineral powders.
The commentary describes newer possibilities enabled by synthetic biology and protein engineering. Engineered microbes could be designed to dissolve metals more effectively, while metal-binding biomolecules could selectively separate elements from mixtures. As one example, the authors cite lanmodulin, a protein that they say has separated rare-earth elements with yields of 99.9% in one step, using aqueous solutions under conditions simpler than conventional techniques. They also point to AI-assisted protein design as a way to speed the search for molecules that bind particular metals in complex solutions.
These approaches could be relevant beyond newly mined ore. The authors note that discarded electronics contain valuable metals such as gold, palladium and rare-earth elements, sometimes at concentrations higher than in natural ores. In 2022, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally, and around 22% was formally collected and recycled, according to the figures cited in the commentary.
Why the authors want shared pilot facilities
Many mineral-biotechnology processes stall between proof of concept and commercial demonstration. Testing across different ores, waste streams and operating conditions requires specialised equipment and sustained data collection, which individual companies may be reluctant to fund for technologies that have not yet been proven commercially.
The authors propose shared facilities near relevant feedstocks, such as mining districts, e-waste recycling hubs and sites affected by acid mine drainage or metal-laden urban wastewater. Researchers and companies could use them to test processes under realistic conditions, troubleshoot them and assess how they might fit with established operations. The facilities could also generate operational, environmental and economic data to inform investment decisions, regulatory approvals and future deployment.
The commentary identifies fragmented regulation as another hurdle. Rules can span biotechnology, environmental and mining authorities, and vary between jurisdictions. In the European Union, the authors say, genetically modified microorganisms can be used in contained systems, while field applications generally rely on naturally occurring or adapted strains. They describe the United States as using a coordinated approach involving the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture.
The case for microbial recovery is therefore not that it can replace conventional mining outright. Rather, the authors argue that biological processes could become one part of mineral supply chains, including recovery from waste and low-grade resources. Whether they can do so at scale will depend on testing across real feedstocks and on the infrastructure to turn laboratory results into workable industrial processes.