The transition to renewable energies and electric vehicles has triggered an unprecedented demand for metals. Sustainable development of these technologies relies on effectively managing the lifecycle of critical raw materials, including their responsible sourcing, efficient use, and recycling. Metal recycling from electronic waste (e-waste) is of paramount importance owing to ore-exceeding amounts of critical elements and high toxicity of heavy metals and organic pollutants in e-waste to the natural ecosystem and human body. Heterotrophic microbes secrete numerous metal-binding biomolecules such as organic acids, amino acids, cyanide, siderophores, peptides, and biosurfactants which can be utilized for eco-friendly and profitable metal recycling. In this review paper, we presented a critical review of heterotrophic organisms in biomining, and current barriers hampering the industrial application of organic acid bioleaching and biocyanide leaching. We also discussed how these challenges can be surmounted with simple methods (e.g., culture media optimization, separation of microbial growth and metal extraction process) and state-of-the-art biological approaches (e.g., artificial microbial community, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, advanced fermentation strategies, and biofilm engineering). Lastly, we showcased emerging technologies (e.g., artificially synthesized peptides, siderophores, and biosurfactants) derived from heterotrophs with the potential for inexpensive, low-impact, selective and advanced metal recovery from bioleaching solutions.

中文翻译：

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异养生物在电子废物关键金属回收中的工业应用之路


向可再生能源和电动汽车的过渡引发了对金属前所未有的需求。这些技术的可持续发展依赖于有效管理关键原材料的生命周期，包括负责任的采购、有效使用和回收。由于电子垃圾中的关键元素矿石含量超标，且重金属和有机污染物对自然生态系统和人体具有高毒性，因此电子垃圾中的金属回收至关重要。异养微生物分泌大量的金属结合生物分子，如有机酸、氨基酸、氰化物、铁载体、肽和生物表面活性剂，可用于生态友好且有利可图的金属回收。在这篇综述论文中，我们对生物采矿中的异养生物以及当前阻碍有机酸生物浸出和生物氰化物浸出的工业应用的障碍进行了批判性评论。我们还讨论了如何通过简单的方法（例如，培养基优化、微生物生长分离和金属提取过程）和最先进的生物方法（例如，人工微生物群落、合成生物学、代谢工程）来克服这些挑战、先进的发酵策略和生物膜工程）。最后，我们展示了源自异养生物的新兴技术（例如，人工合成的肽、铁载体和生物表面活性剂），这些技术具有从生物浸出溶液中廉价、低影响、选择性和先进的金属回收的潜力。