By combining titanium and nickel, researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka Metropolitan University have achieved outstanding results. They’re actually able to biorecover rare earth metals using this sulfated yeast. If confirmed, this could be a landmark innovation for developing a sustainable and affordable solution to metal recovery. It meets the growing global demand for rare earth elements, which are critical for hundreds of technologies.
The research team is headed up by Professor Masayuki Azuma and Associate Professor Yoshihiro Ojima. More recently, they demonstrated that sulfated yeast can be an effective adsorbent of copper (Cu). This remarkable natural material can absorb 2.3 times the amount of copper when compared to phosphate-modified baker’s yeast (P-yeast). Its performance is head and shoulders above the rest.
Desorption and Re-adsorption Capabilities
In addition to being incredibly effective at metal absorption, sulfated yeast has effective desorption abilities. All this time, sulfated yeast has been revealing itself as an effective medium for desorption of copper ions with hydrochloric acid. This procedure makes it possible for the metal to be reused. After desorption, the yeast is able to re-adsorb copper once more, which can potentially allow for a single yeast culture to serve in multiple metal recovery operations.
This special quality makes sulfated yeast particularly effective as an eco-friendly replacement for conventional metal recovery processes. Its ability to regenerate the material after desorption significantly reduces waste. This practice increases resource efficiency by maximizing metal recovery.
Future Directions in Research
The research group aspires to lead the practical adoption of sulfated yeast in tangible application. Additionally, they’re planning to scale up material production to be able to meet growing demand and will be doing more testing with real waste liquids. This step is critical for understanding how sulfated yeast will perform in varied environments and conditions typically encountered in industrial scenarios.
Professor Azuma expressed optimism regarding the future of this research, stating, “We hope these research findings lead to applications in efficient and environmentally-friendly rare earth recovery technology. Moving forward, we plan to advance toward practical implementation by scaling up material production and conducting evaluations using actual waste liquids.”
Implications for Metal Recovery
That’s why this breakthrough has the potential to dramatically change the game for industries that rely on rare earth elements. This impact is compounded by the huge increase in demand for these metals from the electronics and renewable energy industry. In turn, sustainable extraction methods are growing ever more important.
These research results, published DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122743 on October 17, 2025, available online at phys.org. The ongoing work by Professor Azuma and his team may pave the way for innovative and efficient approaches to metal recovery, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future.