Beginning in fall of 2020, the BioImp subteam performed a techno economic analysis of rare earth element bioextraction (REE TEA). The project focused on the process of extracting rare earth elements from a source through purification techniques. The traditional method of REE extraction requires high temperatures and pressures, which can be highly energy-intensive. An alternative method involves using microbes that excrete organic acids. This process is more environmentally friendly, but also less efficient, so the team worked to analyze the economic feasibility of using these microbes.

BioImp worked with BEE professor Buz Barstow, who has been working to make the microbes produce more organic acid in order to increase efficiency. The team analyzed whether using these new microbes would make the process more economically feasible. The team conducted a lot of research regarding the process, and built a mathematical model with Excel to assess feasibility. The team built this model so that the numbers generated from Barstow lab inputs match up with a published paper based on another TEA. Since REEs are such an important resource, the project could have a greater impact outside of Cornell based on the economic feasibility.