Over the summer, Alexia Carver, an undergraduate majoring in metallurgical engineering, spent ten weeks at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) working on biometallurgy problems. Biometallurgy is the process of using organic materials to extract valuable materials from ore bodies. Carver worked on a project identifying the best conditions for a type of genetically modified bacteria to thrive.
Finding “the best happy home” for bacteria
“You and I are actually benefiting from some of the same organisms that we cultivate in lab,” Carver said.
Carver worked on identifying “the best happy home” for a type of bacteria called Gluconobacter oxydans, which is partly responsible for fruit decay. G. oxydans also produces gluconic acid, which can be used to extract metals from ore bodies or spent batteries. Researchers grow the bacteria, in this case a genetically modified type of G. oxydans which produces higher quantities of gluconic acid, then separate the bacteria from the acid and apply that where needed.
“My mentor, David Reed at INL, has been working with this organism for almost ten years now,” Carver said. “They’ve got it down to a science, they’re just trying to iron out some final kinks.”
That’s where Carver’s work came in. The bacteria grow in a substance researchers call nutrient broth, also known as media, and different bacteria grow better with different ratios of vitamins and other nutrients in the media. Carver spent her time at INL making and testing bacterial growth on 13 formulas of nutrient broth found in a research article that support growth of G. oxydans.
“Media production can be really labor and time intensive, especially when you get to vitamins where you need .01 micrograms per liter,” Carver said.
Some of the vitamins can be very expensive, so finding the perfect balance of media which maximizes gluconic acid production while minimizing the quantity of vitamins needed in the media was the primary goal of Carver’s research project. The most effective nutrient broth would be used going forward to produce the acid which would then be used to collect cobalt from spent lithium-ion batteries. Cobalt is considered a critical mineral and is a crucial part of the energy transition. It is also very expensive, so finding ways to reuse minerals like cobalt is important to the mission of the Department of Energy.
Carver pointed out that much of INL’s budget comes from commercializing research projects, and that providing an alternative to sulfuric acid, which is the current product used to separate spent battery components, could decrease risk to employees working at metallurgy companies, so there is a lot of motivation to establish a robust source of gluconic acid.
Reflecting on an internship at a national lab
Carver, who also works for the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, was thrilled to participate in the internship and hopes other students will apply.
“They have a really robust and longstanding internship program, and I enjoyed myself greatly,” Carver said.
Carver received funding from the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program to participate.
SULI pays undergraduate students or recently graduated students to intern at a DOE laboratory for ten weeks. The program is sponsored by the DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists. SULI also provides interns with a housing stipend. Students in SULI also get to participate in professional development workshops, laboratory tours, scientific lectures and seminars, ice cream socials and more. One of the intern activities Carver participated in was the INL intern photo contest. Interns were asked to edit themselves into a historical INL photo, and Carver won. Carver was also featured in an INL intern newsletter, where she was interviewed about her interests in fiber arts and their connection to a more sustainable world.
Carver noted there are other avenues to pursue research at a national lab for interested students.
The first is the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF), another source of funding that provides opportunities for students to participate in research at a national lab for ten weeks. MLEF is a prestigious award that comes from the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. It also provides a weekly stipend, and some students may receive housing assistance. At the end of the ten weeks, students present their research findings at the MLEF Technical Forum.
Another option is to reach out directly to a researcher a student might be interested in working with. Oftentimes, the researchers have funding to support a student.
“The worst thing they can do to you is say no,” Carver said.
In her case, she reached out directly to Reed, who was near the end of the project, so he didn’t have additional funding to take on a student. However, he encouraged her to apply for SULI and because she was successful, Reed was happy to bring her into the lab.
“The application process is very cut-and-dry,” Carver said.
For students at the University interested in nuclear research Carver said INL is a great option.
“There is not an easier way to start working in nuclear as an undergrad, except maybe working at a plant,” she said.
However, as Carver noted, the internship applications can apply to national labs all over the country. She strongly encourages any students who are interested to apply.
