Effective recycling of Rare Earth Elements from End-of-Life products for European Circular Economy

Raw materials are pivotal in realizing the United Nations' '2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development' and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Among these critical raw materials (CRMs), are of strategic importance to the EU's economy. However, they face significant supply risks, particularly Rare Earth Elements (REEs), vital in emerging clean technologies. Dependence on REE imports, coupled with geopolitical instability, has driven price spikes, prompting the need for recycling. Currently, no commercial recycling operation exists for end-of-life (EoL) products and their REE content, potentially exacerbating supply-demand imbalances. Recycling CRMs offers environmental benefits, reducing mining's impact, enabling multiple CRM recovery from a single device, and minimizing habitat disruption and water pollution. EFESTO4EU project seeks to advance scientific understanding and develop innovative materials for metal extraction, primarily focusing on recycling REEs from real EoL products using environmentally sustainable technologies. The proposed method involves extracting REEs from the leachate resulting from the pre-treatment and dissolution of EoL products. This process employs a solid/liquid system, utilizing Ionic Liquids (ILs) immobilized on silica-based gel to form a material referred to as ionogel. Subsequently, these ions are released and reclaimed, allowing for the reuse of ionogel in successive cycles. The project has a strong interdisciplinary approach going from material synthesis to solution thermodynamics. To ensure the successful implementation of these project goals, I will conduct my research at Swiss Federal Laboratories (Empa) and University of Udine (Italy), under the guidance of Dr. Wim Malfait and Prof. Andrea Melchior, leading scholars. This project will prepare me to become a tenured scholar and obtain advanced funding, strengthening my academic profile and allowing me to establish my own research group.