Summary: UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a bead-based chromatography platform that employs immobilized peptides for improved rare earth element separation and recovery.
Background: Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical inputs for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, advanced electronics, and defense systems. However, their separation and extraction remain challenging due to the elements’ nearly identical physicochemical properties, frequent co-occurrence in ores, and typically low natural abundance. These factors make conventional extraction highly resource-intensive and costly. Current industrial separation techniques rely heavily on complex solvent-extraction processes that require large volumes of chemicals and substantial energy inputs. These methods often struggle to discriminate effectively among individual REEs, leading to inefficient recovery and the generation of significant chemical waste with associated economic and environmental burdens. Solid-phase material systems have been explored as alternatives, but many lack selectivity, operational reliability, and scalability needed for practical deployment.
Biologically inspired approaches, including the use of high-affinity proteins such as lanmodulin (LanM), demonstrate promise but have not yet been broadly validated across diverse metal targets or translated into scalable, industrially viable recovery platforms. With global demand for REEs continuing to rise, there is a clear need for an alternative separation technology that delivers high selectivity, reduced environmental impact, and cost-effective scalability.
Innovation: UCLA researchers have developed a peptide-based platform that enables highly selective separation and recovery of rare earth elements (REEs). These engineered peptides exhibit strong, preferential binding to light and medium REEs while demonstrating minimal affinity for competing non-REE species. In magnet-derived solutions representative of electronic waste streams, the peptides achieved 94.7 percent recovery of praseodymium and nearly complete recovery of neodymium. They also delivered greater than 90 percent REE recovery from low-grade feedstocks, underscoring their robustness and suitability for real-world processing environments. The peptides can be immobilized within column-based systems, providing reusability without sacrificing selectivity and enabling integration into scalable separation workflows. The inventors demonstrate that these novel peptides may serve as efficient bioligands for enhanced REE recovery development. This technology overcomes key limitations of conventional REE extraction methods by offering a selective, reusable, and industrially scalable approach to REE recovery.
Potential Applications: ● Rare earth refining/purification ● Electronic waste recycling ● Low-grade ore processing ● Sustainable REE production ● Materials recovery
Advantages: ● High selectivity: Precisely targets light and medium REEs while minimizing non-REE binding ● High recovery efficiency: Demonstrates strong performance across electronic-waste solutions and low-grade feedstocks ● Reusability: Peptide immobilization supports multiple separation cycles without loss of selectivity ● Cost-effective: Reduces reliance on complex chemical processes and lowers operational expenses ● Scalable: Compatible with column-based and industrial separation workflows ● Modular: Can be integrated into existing recovery systems or adapted for customized separation schemes ● Sustainable: Enables cleaner REE extraction with reduced chemical waste and environmental impact
Development-To-Date: Journal manuscript in preparation.
Related Papers: Choi, Dasol, Wonhyeong Lee, Soyoung Choi, Loretta M. Roberson, José Avalos, and Aaron J. Moment. “Waste Sargassum Seaweed as a Sustainable Resource for Rare Earth Element Recovery.” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, vol. 13, no. 47, 2025, pp. 20476–20485, American Chemical Society, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c08832
Reference: UCLA Case No. 2026-031
Lead Inventor: Aaron Moment