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https://theconversation.com/demand-for-rare-earth-metals-is-skyrocketing-so-were-creating-a-safer-cleaner-way-to-recover-them-from-old-phones-and-laptops-141360>
"Rare-earth metals are critical to the high-tech society we live in as an
essential component of mobile phones, computers and many other everyday
devices. But increasing demand and limited global supply means we must urgently
find a way to recover these metals efficiently from discarded products.
Rare-earth metals are currently mined or recovered via traditional e-waste
recycling. But there are drawbacks, including high cost, environmental damage,
pollution and risks to human safety. This is where our ongoing research comes
in.
Our team in collaboration with the research centre Tecnalia in Spain has
developed a way to use environmentally friendly chemicals to recover rare-earth
metals. It involves a process called “electrodeposition”, in which a low
electric current causes the metals to deposit on a desired surface.
This is important because if we roll out our process to scale, we can alleviate
the pressure on global supply, and reduce our reliance on mining."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
