Tellurium cycling at the nanoscale: the complex environmental dispersion and bioavailability of a rare critical metal

This study aims to be the first investigation of the dispersion of tellurium (Te) in the environment around areas naturally enriched in Te, testing the hypothesis that biological processes are important. Tellurium is a rare metalloid regularly listed as a critical raw material due to its increased use in the solar, thermoelectric and metallurgy industries coupled with uncertain future supply. As a result of these emerging technologies, the amounts of Te introduced into the environment by anthropogenic activities have increased significantly; however, the environmental (bio)geochemistry of Te remains poorly understood. The specific aims of the experiments are to (1) quantify whether Te nanoparticles (TeNPs) are present in soil samples from the world’s most naturally Te-enriched anomaly; and (2) explore correlations between microbial communities and chemical state of Te in soils.