Genomic Science Program
U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Science | Biological and Environmental Research Program

Basic Research Needs for Biological Molecular Mechanisms for Critical Minerals and Materials

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Critical minerals and materials (CMMs) underpin energy systems, advanced manufacturing, national defense, and emerging technologies, yet their supply chains are constrained by geological dispersion, geopolitics, and energy-intensive processing. Many CMMs are not rare but occur at low concentrations within complex ores and waste streams where conventional technologies optimized for high-grade ores become less efficient and economically viable. The convergence of biology, chemistry, and materials sciences offers innovations to dramatically enhance CMM recovery, transformation, and use.

Biology offers distinctive properties—molecular-scale selectivity, operation under ambient conditions, adaptability to complex and limiting environments, and opportunities for design of new functions—that could benefit CMM extraction and separation. Chemistry and materials sciences provide advantages of high-throughput, durability, and compatibility with industrial process infrastructure. Biological and chemical pathways could be exploited for not only extraction and separation but also exploration of functional substitutes for critical minerals. However, the basic principles governing biological–mineral–material interactions remain poorly understood, limiting predictive design and scalable deployment. Coordinated advances are needed to integrate molecular biology, biophysics, coordination chemistry, geochemistry, materials science, and multiscale modeling, coupled with AI-enabled discovery and experimentation.

In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC) convened a workshop to address Basic Research Needs for Biological Molecular Mechanisms for Critical Minerals and Materials. Co-sponsored by DOE SC programs in Basic Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental Research, the workshop identified five priority research directions to establish scientific foundations for next-generation CMM recovery, separation, and substitution by integrating biology, chemistry, and materials sciences.

Suggested citation: U.S. DOE. 2026. Basic Research Needs for Biological Molecular Mechanisms for Critical Minerals and Materials: Integrative Biological, Chemical, and Materials Science Foundations for Securing Critical Minerals and Materials, DOE/SC-2030. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. https://doi.org/10.2172/3028739.