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Gene-hacked microbe pulls rare earths and traps carbon 58x faster than nature
In the war for clean energy and climate survival, scientists have found an unlikely ally: a metal-eating microbe.
Tiny but tenacious, Gluconobacter oxydans is being reprogrammed to replace heavy machinery and toxic chemicals in the extraction of rare earth elements.
But this microbe isn't just pulling metals from stone. It's also accelerating the Earth's natural ability to trap carbon dioxide, offering a two-for-one deal in the fight against climate change.
Armed with genetic tweaks that turbocharge its acid production and unlock hidden biochemical abilities, G. oxydans is proving to be more efficient than new research, scientists at Cornell University boosted its rare earth extraction power by up to 73 percent—without the environmental damage of traditional mining.
The same microbe can also accelerate natural carbon capture by 58 times, transforming ordinary rocks into long-term CO₂ storage systems.
'More metals will have to be mined in this century than in all of human history, but traditional mining technologies are enormously environmentally damaging,' said Buz Barstow, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in a release.'Currently, the U.S. has to obtain almost all of these elements from foreign sources, including China, creating a risk of supply-chain disruption.'
Metals like magnesium, iron, and calcium naturally react with carbon dioxide to form minerals that lock the gas away for good. Cornell's engineered microbes supercharge this process by breaking down rock faster, exposing more metal to CO₂, and turning the Earth itself into a carbon trap.
'What we're trying to do is take advantage of processes that already exist in nature but turbocharge their efficiency and improve sustainability,' said Esteban Gazel, the Charles N. Mellowes Professor in Cornell Engineering.
To push the microbes' potential further, Cornell scientists dug into its genetic blueprint. In one study, they discovered that with just two genome edits, G. oxydans could become far more effective at dissolving rock—one tweak increased acid production, while the other removed internal limits, dramatic increasing rare earth recovery.
But acid wasn't its only tool. A second study revealed that the microbe uses other, previously unknown pathways to extract metals. By knocking out genes one by one in a high-performing strain, researchers identified 89 genes tied to bioleaching—68 of which had never before been linked to the process. That breakthrough helped boost extraction efficiency by more than 100 percent.
In parallel, a third paper showed that G. oxydans can speed up natural carbon capture without relying on high temperatures, pressure, or harsh chemicals. As it breaks down magnesium- and iron-rich rocks, those elements bind with carbon dioxide to form solid minerals like limestone, permanently locking the carbon away.'This process can occur in ambient conditions, at low temperature, and it doesn't involve the use of harsh chemicals,' said Joseph Lee, a Ph.D. student and lead author. 'It naturally draws down CO2 and stores it permanently as minerals. We're also recovering other energy-critical metals like nickel as byproducts. It's a two-fold solution.'
With funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, Cornell Atkinson, and alumni donors, the work is now moving from the lab to the real world.
The research, published in Communications Biology and Scientific Reports, was led by Alexa Schmitz, now CEO of REEgen, an Ithaca-based startup working to commercialize the technology.
