From cancer treatment to minerals recovery

Australian researchers have applied cancer therapeutic techniques to recovery of critical and rare earth minerals with a new peptide-targeting mineral recovery method.

The researchers, based at the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (COEMinerals), achieved more than 98% silver purity and more than 95% recovery using the innovative recovery method.

Led by the University of Adelaide’s Chemical Engineering School researcher Professor Chun-Xia Zhao, the centre has applied learnings from multiple scientific disciplines to mimic how a cancer-targeting drug finds cancer cells and apply it to finding a one-in-a-billion peptide molecule targeting a given mineral or metal.

The breakthrough has the potential to revolutionise minerals processing and represents an opportunity for Australia to unlock its access to the rare earths and critical minerals.

Access to the elements used in the energy transition and in devices, including phones and electric vehicles (EVs), is important to securing Australia’s critical minerals supply chain.

“We knew nature contained molecules with selective binding properties. By harnessing these properties, we were able to find precise peptide matches for specific minerals, each one fitting like a jigsaw puzzle,” Professor Zhao said.

This advancement has the potential to unlock the equivalent of a ‘DNA code’ for every mineral and metal on the planet and revolutionise mineral processing whilst heralding environmental benefits.

“Current mineral separation processes can require hundreds of stages, which is not only inefficient and costly but involves toxic solvents that harm the environment.” Professor Zhao said.

“In contrast, the centre’s new biomolecule approach offers selective and recyclable peptides as a single-stage process, reducing both complexity and waste.”

The ARC COEMinerals is a national research centre, funded by the Federal Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme. The Centre’s diverse scientific team, comprising of nine Australian universities, is addressing key industry and environmental challenges associated with mineral processing.

In late 2019, COEMinerals was awarded $35m from the Federal Government and the centre officially commenced operations in July 2020.