Mussels inspire an eco-friendly way to extract critical rare earth elements

mussel stickiness inspires researchers at penn state

By Jamie Oberdick

There is a conundrum around rare earth elements (REE). They play a key role in clean energy, vital to the production of lightweight, efficient batteries and essential components in wind turbines. Conversely, conventional extraction of these elements raises environmental concerns ranging from habitat destruction to water and air pollution to the high amount of energy needed to extract and process these elements.  

Tak Sing Wong

Tak Sing Wong

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Wormley Early Career Professor

(e) tuw17@psu.edu, (e) tswong@psu.edu
(o) 814-865-6122
N-330 Millennium Science Complex

https://sites.psu.edu/wong/
Seong Kim

Seong Kim

Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

(e) shk10@psu.edu, (e) shkim@engr.psu.edu
(o) 814-863-4809
N-323 Millennium Science Complex

https://sites.psu.edu/seongkim/