{
  "abstract": "The physicochemical controls governing metal acquisition, release, and redistribution across biological interfaces remain poorly understood. Biophytometallurgy--the microbially assisted release and recovery of plant-associated metals--was used to probe the directionality of the mechanisms controlling nickel (Ni) and rare earth element (REE) release from plants of the genus Phytolacca during solid-liquid extraction. Ni, an established phytomining target, was included as a comparator for chemical extraction. Bulk characterization did not support a detectable dominant crystalline REE-phosphate-like compartment in hydroponically enriched shoots. Dissolution and rebinding experiments instead revealed chemically accessible nickel and REE compartments, the latter of which had behaviors consistent with apparent equilibrium-like partitioning under mildly acidic conditions. During sulfur biooxidation, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans promoted REE release while providing a competing cell-associated REE sink. Consequently, aqueous REE concentrations reflected net redistribution among the separable plant, solution, and microbial phases instead of dissolution alone. These results establish a framework for studying metal partitioning across complex and coupled biological systems and support a route for aqueous REE recovery from plants without thermochemical conversion to ash.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Columbia University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "D. A. Dailey"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Hernandez-Pagan"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Bailey"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. E. Raffaele"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. T. Bavaresco"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Piatt-Price"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. S. A. Carneiro"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. N. Austin"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. J. Doherty"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "S. Banta"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e6hmkqcafgy63.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.27.747594",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747594v2.full",
  "id": "e6hmkqcafgy63",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747594v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "bioengineering"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2204|Metal Extraction and Bioleaching"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204557558",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747594v2.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e6hmkqcafgy63.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:20:59Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.27.747594",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747594v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:bioengineering",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Biophytometallurgy: biomining metals from plant resources",
  "title_text": "Biophytometallurgy: biomining metals from plant resources",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T00:21:06Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e6hmkqcafgy63",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}