Dr Denys Villa-Gomez examining fungal samples.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland. )
A 'superpowered' fungus engineered at The University of Queensland could be used to extract critical minerals from toxic mining waste while also helping to remediate sites.
Environmental engineers at UQ's new Biosustainability Hub are growing unique fungal strains that can be used to detoxify mining tailings and capture traces of important rare earths without the need for harsh chemicals.
Critical minerals are currently recovered from mining tailings using a method called leaching, which relies on acids and solvents that are expensive and can be damaging to the environment.
A new leaching method pioneered by Dr Denys Villa-Gomez instead uses 'super fungi' strains that produce organic acids capable of cleaning mine waste and recovering valuable metals.
"We take fungi that grows naturally in mining and then we engineer them to actually be super, so they can cope with toxic environments and tolerate harsh conditions," Dr Villa-Gomez said.
"We know the process works well for extracting high-value critical minerals such as vanadium and scandium, key compounds in electronics and microchips."
The creation of the 'super fungi' is done through adaptive laboratory evolution, where the fungi are put under challenging conditions over time so only the strongest survive and evolve into more effective strains.
"It's just like how a superhero gets powers because they are exposed to radiation," Dr Villa-Gomez said.
State-of-the-art bioreactors at UQ's Biosustainability Hub then process the mining waste by combining it with the engineered fungi and feedstock.
PhD candidate Fernanda Soto-Montandon said as the fungi consumes the feedstock they begin producing natural organic acids as part of their metabolism.
"Those acids then break down the mining waste, destabilizing the mineral structure and releasing the trapped metals into a liquid form," she said.
"From there, the metals can be recovered and reused, turning what was once waste into a valuable resource through a low‑impact biological process."
Dr Denys Villa-Gomez and Fernanda Soto with a red dirt sample.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland.)
The $70 million Biosustainability Hub was launched last week by Federal Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill.
Hub director Professor Esteban Marcellin said the facility is helping manufacturing, energy, mining and food production industries transition to cleaner operations.
"We use cutting-edge synthetic biology to engineer microbes and biological systems to turn waste, emissions and low‑value materials into sustainable, high‑value products," Professor Marcellin said.
"The Hub provides companies with a bridge from fundamental discovery to real-world application.
"From sustainable mining and waste management, fermentation scale-up and bioreactor optimisation, we are accelerating the journey from lab to market."
Dr Villa-Gomez said exploring the use of fungus as a bioleaching tool was an environmentally responsible and cost-effective alternative to traditional mineral extraction processes.
"In the future, it's hoped we could deploy these fungi directly at mine sites, recovering minerals while helping remediate the land at the same time," she said.
"We are engaging with industry partners to test these technologies in the field."
Dr Villa-Gomez is Senior Lecturer at UQ's School of Civil Engineering and Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology .
