Facing the depletion of mining resources, several U.S. companies are attempting to extract metals from microbes.

Endolith conducted laboratory tests using ore supplied by mining company BHP, and results showed that its technology—actively regulating microbes—outperformed traditional passive bioleaching methods. In November, the company raised $16.5 million in funding, which will be used to scale its technology from the lab in Denver to actual mine heaps. Although early test results appear promising, Corale Brierley—a mining engineer who has studied metal bioleaching systems since the 1970s—remains skeptical. She questions whether startups like Endolith, which artificially inoculate microbes into ore, can successfully deploy their processes at commercial scale. Brierley asks: How can these companies ensure that the artificially introduced microbes will proliferate successfully within mine heaps? Diana Rasner, an analyst at Cleantech Group specializing in mining technologies, notes that large mining enterprises have already optimized every stage of their production processes; persuading them to adopt new technologies is no easy task. She explains that such enterprises deeply understand industry dynamics and are fully aware of all conditions required for scaling new technologies. They may thus become the strongest supporters—or the harshest critics—of emerging innovations. Rasner points out that, beyond technical hurdles, biotech startups backed by venture capital also struggle to meet investors’ demands for rapid returns. Mining companies require extensive real-world testing data before adopting new processes—and collecting such data often takes years of trials. “This logic is entirely different from that of the software development industry,” she says. Rio Tinto’s subsidiary Nuton serves as a typical case in point. For decades, Nuton has been developing a copper bioleaching process that combines multiple archaeal and bacterial strains with chemical additives. Only last December did the company conduct a field demonstration of this technology at a mine in Arizona. Both Endolith and Nuton rely on naturally occurring microbes for mining operations, whereas startup 1849 plans to significantly enhance performance through genetic engineering of microbes. Jai Padmakumar, CEO of 1849, states that companies can either follow conventional mining practices—or boldly pursue genetic engineering of microbes. Success in such engineering could yield breakthrough results. Genetic engineering enables 1849 to tailor microbial modifications to clients’ specific extraction challenges. However, Buz Barstow, a microbiologist at Cornell University studying biotechnology applications in mining, cautions that genetically engineered microbes may face greater challenges in reproduction. Other companies sidestep this trade-off altogether by using microbial fermentation products—rather than live microbes—in their processes. Alta Resource Technologies raised $28 million in December and is using genetic engineering to modify microbes so they produce specific proteins capable of extracting and separating rare-earth elements.

A new battlefield in the rare-earth rivalry: both China and the U.S. are focusing on synthetic biology.

On October 9, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced new export controls on rare-earth-related technologies. Rare earths refer to a group of 17 chemical elements essential to high-end manufacturing—from iPhones to F-35 fighter jets. They are termed 'rare' not because they are scarce in Earth’s crust, but because they occur in dispersed deposits and share similar chemical properties—making separation and purification extremely challenging. Currently, China controls over 90% of global rare-earth refining capacity. The U.S. once accounted for 50% of global rare-earth production in the 1980s, but today relies heavily on imports from China. To strengthen domestic supply chains, the U.S. is vigorously developing efficient and sustainable rare-earth processing technologies—with synthetic biology emerging as a key innovation pathway. This year, the Emerging Biotechnology National Security Commission submitted to the U.S. Congress its report, 'Charting the Future of Biotechnology: A Plan for American Security and Prosperity,' which states: "Biotechnology leverages custom-designed proteins to separate high-purity rare-earth elements and other critical minerals with unprecedented precision and efficiency. Such biotechnological solutions will lower costs, increase domestic output of critical minerals, and reduce dependence on foreign sources." Recently, multiple U.S. research institutions have published findings demonstrating the use of genetic engineering and related techniques to modify organisms for rare-earth processing. For China, developing cutting-edge, efficient, and environmentally friendly rare-earth processing technologies based on synthetic biology is vital to maintaining its leading position in the global rare-earth competition. Is biological processing of rare earths feasible? Biological methods offer a promising and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional mining technologies. Bio-based processes are already deployed commercially for extracting various metals—including copper, nickel, cobalt, and zinc. For example, microbes are used to dissolve minerals or waste materials, accounting for an estimated 15% of global copper mining. Additionally, about 5% of gold mining employs microbial oxidation to pretreat refractory sulfide gold ores. Over a decade ago, scientists discovered microbes capable of metabolizing lanthanides, prompting exploration into using microbes—or their components—to separate rare-earth elements. Many microbes secrete acids that can dissolve rocks, electronic waste, and other scrap materials to release metals. Some produce specialized proteins that interact selectively with rare-earth elements—enabling separation from other metals. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has invested over $43 million in developing bio-mining technologies for rare-earth elements. Although biotechnology has yet to achieve large-scale commercial application in rare-earth processing, advances in synthetic biology hold strong promise for making biological methods a cornerstone of future rare-earth extraction and refining. Related achievements are progressing toward industrialization. In May, a study from Cornell University was published in Communications Biology, a Nature journal. Researchers genetically edited Gluconobacter oxydans, boosting rare-earth bioleaching efficiency by 73%. This microbe accelerates rock weathering, releasing calcium and magnesium that permanently sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide—while simultaneously extracting rare-earth elements.

Mining Firms Turn to Biotechnology to Boost Production

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BHP and Rio Tinto are investing in biotech startups to optimize copper extraction and mineral exploration. This move targets increased production efficiency to support the growing battery and clean technology markets.

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Mining Firms Turn to Biotechnology to Boost Production

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