REEgen secures $200,000 grant for biological rare earth recovery. US startup REEgen has been awarded a $200,000 grant from New York State to advance its biological rare earth recovery technology. The company uses engineered bacteria to extract critical metals from industrial byproducts such as slag and e-waste, replacing conventional chemical processes.

The funding, from Empire State Development's NYSTAR programme, is linked to an existing $1.1m National Science Foundation project and will support the deployment of REEgen's BioREEcover system in industrial settings. The Cornell University spinout, which participated in Batch 9 of Germany's Circular Valley accelerator programme, plans to use the grant to secure commercial partnerships and launch its first on-site recovery unit.

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