A review of the research progress in the enrichment of rare earth resources by biosorbents

Abstract

Rare earth elements are valuable resources on Earth and indispensable for many contemporary advanced technologies. Efficient and clean development and the use of rare earth resources are essential for sustainable development. However, the current development or recovery of rare earth resources incurs high economic and environmental costs, and there is an urgent need to develop low-cost and environmentally friendly technologies to extract rare earth elements. Biosorption is a green method that has been widely used for the treatment of heavy metals and other pollutants in wastewater. In recent years, researchers have found that it has promising applications in rare earth element adsorption. This review summarises the published work related to the biosorption of rare earth elements, describes the types of biosorbents that can be used for the enrichment of rare earth elements and its means of modification, describes the mechanism of action between biosorbents and rare earth elements, summarises the factors that affect the enrichment of rare earth elements by biosorbents, and highlights the adsorption, desorption, and regeneration properties of biosorbents in real samples. Furthermore, the application of biosorbents in rare earth adsorption prospects is discussed, and the authors propose future research directions for rare earth biosorption.