PROJECT /

2026

MATERIALS / RESOURCE RECOVERY

Algae + Rare Earth Elements (Coming Soon)

✦

Engineered algae-derived biopolymers for rare-earth metal harvesting, achieving 22% higher capture than published benchmarks.

THE QUESTION

Could algae help recover materials our hardware depends on?

BUILT / TESTED


  • Cultivated cyanobacteria under varying nutrient conditions to optimize extracellular polymer production.

  • Extracted and characterized algae-derived biopolymers for rare-earth element biosorption.

  • Quantified polymer composition using UV-Vis spectroscopy and chemical assays.

  • Evaluated metal recovery using ICP-OES, achieving 22% higher capture than published benchmarks.

TOOLS

UV-Vis Spectroscopy · ICP-OES · FTIR · Bradford Assay · Biopolymer Characterization

Yuki Qian.

Electrical Engineering @ Penn. Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.

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© 2026 Yuki Qian · Built with curiosity