| Summary: | Acidic solutions from metal bioleaching processes usually contain mixtures of metals in different concentrations which need to be separated and concentrated in downstream processing. Aim of this study was to explore and compare biosorption of rare earth elements (REE) by different microorganisms in acidic solutions. Biosorption of REE by bacteria and fungi showed element selective biosorption. The gram-positive bacterium <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> showed a higher selectivity to ytterbium (Yb) and lutetium (Lu) than the gram-negative bacteria <i>Leisingera methylohalidivorans</i> and <i>Phaeobacter inhibens</i>. In contrast, the tested fungi (<i>Catenulostroma chromoblastomyces</i>, <i>Pichia</i> sp.) showed a preference for the middle rare earth elements. Algae exhibited a low biosorption performance. Additionally, for <i>B. subtilis</i> and one yeast (<i>Pichia</i> sp.), better results were achieved with living than dead biomass. This study compares for the first time biosorption of different microorganisms at standardized conditions at low pH und application related conditions.
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