Engineering a bio-enabled circular economy for critical metals

Professor Louise Horsfall, University of Edinburgh

Dear all,

We are delighted to announce the upcoming seminar featuring Prof. Louise Horsfall from Edinburgh. She will talk on "Engineering a bio-enabled circular economy for critical metals"

We look forward to seeing you there!

Seminar details

Title: Engineering a bio-enabled circular economy for critical metals

Metals have a finite supply and are resource-intensive to obtain, but with advanced recycling technologies, they could be used within a circular economy for centuries.

Certain microorganisms have the potential to manufacture metallic nanoparticles and other functional inorganic materials. This is independent of the source of metal ions, allowing waste and end-of-life components to be bioprocessed to produce new particles with novel functions. To exploit this, we have been studying the interaction between bacteria and technology-critical metals. We are identifying and optimising genetic elements to increase nanoparticle production and control nanoparticle size and homogeneity. While developing this process, we are exploring its use for treating contaminated waste, water, and land, and examining applications for the resulting biogenic nanoparticles.

Our ultimate aim is to produce engineered microbes capable of upcycling critical metals from waste streams into high-value nanoparticles with exciting applications in the green technology sector, ranging from batteries to catalysts. This area is rapidly growing in importance, as society’s reliance on metals only increases as we transition away from fossil fuels.

Bio:

Louise Horsfall is Professor of Sustainable Biotechnology at The University of Edinburgh. Her research uses engineering biology to develop environmental solutions, bringing together biological, chemical, and engineering expertise to develop a bio-based system for the selective recovery of critical metals from waste streams to enable their reuse. She has published the most advanced bio-based process for lithium-ion battery recycling to date and, alongside leading battery experts, authored the roadmap for a sustainable circular economy in lithium-ion and future battery technologies. Her research has also combined the use of biosynthesised nanoparticles with cutting-edge green chemistry techniques to demonstrate routes to improved catalysis. 

Louise holds a MChem from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Biochemistry from the Université de Liège. She held postdoc positions at the Universities of Leeds and Glasgow before taking up an academic post at the University of Edinburgh. She is a member of the EPSRC’s Strategic Advisory Team for sustainable manufacturing and mobility, BBSRC Strategy Advisory Panel for advanced manufacturing and clean growth, and the Scottish Science Advisory Council – providing independent advice and recommendations on science strategy, policy, and priorities to the Scottish Government.