Collaborative Research: FEC: Transformative Bioprocessing and AI-Driven Frameworks for Sustainable Critical Mineral Recovery

The U.S. relies heavily on foreign sources for rare earth elements (REEs) crucial to energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, and national defense, despite possessing abundant domestic supplies locked within coal mining waste. To secure this supply chain, a use-inspired research initiative led by the University of Alaska Anchorage, in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Montana Technological University, and the University of Wyoming, will integrate microbiology and AI to develop scalable biological technologies for domestic REE recovery. AI will predict high-potential materials, while a virtual testing environment accelerates laboratory discoveries into real-world applications. Furthermore, the initiative will strengthen research infrastructure and provide industry-aligned training to build a highly skilled technology workforce across these resource-rich EPSCoR states of Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming. Ultimately, this collaborative innovation ecosystem brings together researchers, industry partners, and state agencies to advance U.S. competitiveness, energy security, and long-term economic resilience. This use-inspired project establishes a Smart Bio-Refinery framework and Virtual Pilot Plant to transform microbial rare earth element (REE) recovery from domestic coal refuse and ash into a predictive, energy-constrained system. Organized into three data-coupled thrusts, the methodology utilizes a predictive Virtual Assay to screen feedstocks, applies reinforcement-learning controllers within a bioprocess digital twin integrated with microgrid simulators, and validates bio-metallurgical purification pathways. An iterative closed-loop framework evaluates Shewanella oneidensis extraction performance against techno-economic and life-cycle performance metrics. To sustain this innovation ecosystem, the project enhances regional research infrastructure by establishing a federally compliant University Recharge Facility. These activities seamlessly integrate with broader impact elements, including an early career leadership council, industry-aligned micro-credentials, and a Tri-State Field Course. Ultimately, this work delivers the foundational intellectual contribution of a generalizable, predictive platform for low-impact critical mineral recovery. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.