REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Bioprocess Engineering
This article is part of the Research TopicBiotechnologies to Recover Critical MetalsView all 5 articles
Bioleaching for Critical Metal Recovery from Bauxite Residue-Unlocking Waste Valorization
Provisionally accepted
Fernanda Soto-Montandon1,2
Rosemary Gillane1,2
Esteban Marcellin2Susan T.L. Harrison1
Denys Kristalia Villa Gomez1,2*- 1The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- 2The University of Queensland Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Saint Lucia, Australia
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The increasing problem of waste from alumina refineries endangers ecosystems and local communities. With over 4 billion tons of bauxite residue stored globally, more than 140 million tons generated annually, and less than 3% currently reused, the situation is unsustainable. However, bauxite residue also contains critical metals essential for advancing sustainable technologies, aligning with the United Nations' 7th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Fully recovering these valuable elements and reusing the waste not only addresses environmental concerns but also supports a resilient and sustainable supply of materials needed for the green energy transition. Given the environmental drawbacks of traditional extraction methods, biotechnological approaches show promise as an environmentally responsible and cost-effective alternative, reinforcing circular economy principles and supporting the 12th SDG, which promotes responsible resource use and the reduction of hazardous waste. This review offers a novel, integrated evaluation of bauxite residue valorization, combining an overview of its composition and characteristics with a detailed examination of bioleaching-based recovery of rare earth elements, gallium, vanadium, and titanium. Special emphasis is placed on selecting optimal microorganisms, understanding the metabolic pathways behind bioleaching agent production, and refining strategies to enhance process efficiency and microbial performance. Additionally, it highlights how circular economy approaches can drive resource-efficient and sustainable utilization of alkaline residues, providing a perspective not covered in previous studies.
Keywords: bioleaching, Bauxite residue, Waste valorization, Critical minerals, circulareconomy
Received: 14 Aug 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Soto-Montandon, Gillane, Marcellin, Harrison and Villa Gomez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Denys Kristalia Villa Gomez, d.villagomez@uq.edu.au
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