This book reviews the latest research on innovative and sustainable biotechnologies for metal recovery from various process streams, emphasising the fundamentals and applications of biosystems. Divided into 7 chapters, it clarifies many topics including biological iron and aluminum recovery from wastewaters, precious metal recovery (Pt, Pd, Au, Ag), algal-based metal recovery, selenium and tellurium recovery, phytoextraction options, and arsenic removal by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Expert contributors explore microbial metabolisms such as iron oxidation, sulfate/sulfur reduction, and selenite reduction through the lens of environmental sustainability. In this book, readers will discover various case studies and commercial applications of these biotechnologies. Particular attention is given to combinations of biological systems with electrochemistry to enhance metal recycling from complex and diluted streams.

This book is a valuable resource for researchers in the field of environmental biotechnology, and scholars of environmental science, chemical engineering and microbiology. Waste management and resource recovery professionals will benefit greatly from the insights provided. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in sustainable solutions for critical metal supply within a circular economy framework.

Autorentext

Sabrina Hedrich is a Professor of Microbiology and Biohydrometallurgy at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany. She graduated in 2011 with a PhD in Microbiology from TU Freiberg, Germany, focusing on biological mine water treatment. She held a postdoc position at Bangor University (UK) from 2010 to 2012, focusing on the physiology and application of acidophilic microorganisms for mine water treatment. From 2013 to 2020 she worked as a senior research officer at the Federal Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany in biohydrometallurgy and process development for industrial purposes. Her research targets developing and monitoring sustainable bioprocesses for metal recovery from primary and secondary resources and biological wastewater treatment.

Oliver Wiche is a Professor of Applied Geoecology at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and holds a PhD from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, where he studied rhizosphere effects on the plant availability of non-essential elements. Currently, his research focuses on the biopathways of trace metals in soil-plant systems, physiological adaptations of plants to extreme environments and plant-based solutions for the remediation of soils.