New concepts for recovery of metals from wastes using biological means

The development of new technologies, especially in the field of renewable energies, has led to an increase in the demand for essential metals in recent years. At the same time, the extraction of these metals is not always environmentally friendly. Toxic metals can pollute waters and enter the environment both during extraction and processing or through disposal. Therefore, new environmentally friendly technologies are needed that prevent their entry into the environment or efficiently contribute to the recovery and recycling of the elements. Biotechnology can contribute to this.
Such technologies exploit the natural ability of organisms, bio-components, and biomolecules to interact with metals. Furthermore, modern methods of molecular biology and synthetic biology enable the development of tailored biomolecules that interact with metal ions or surfaces. In this talk, some of these modern biotechnological concepts for metal extraction such as bioleaching, bioflotation, biosorption from various primary and secondary raw materials as well as for treatment of metal contaminated waste waters will be presented.