Recycling rare resources
Found in smartphones and electric vehicles, rare earth elements are essential when it comes to both digitalisation and the energy transition. Yet their extraction is geopolitically sensitive and environmentally costly. At ETH Zurich, chemists Marie Perrin and Victor Mougel have developed an efficient process to extract these metals from electronic waste.
Marie, how did your research turn into a business idea?
MARIE PERRIN – The world produces vast amounts of electronic waste. Yet in this waste are significant quantities of rare earth metals, little of which are being recycled. In Professor Victor Mougel’s Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH, we discovered that simple bioinspired molecules can bind to rare earth elements on a selective basis. The breakthrough came when we were able to show that our method works even in complex mixtures like those found in electronic waste. So we asked ourselves: if we have the scientific foundation, why not turn it into a real-world solution?
What sets your approach apart?
Instead of energy- and chemical-intensive processing chains, we use highly selective molecules to extract specific individual rare earths from a mixture. This makes the process not only more efficient but also more environmentally friendly than conventional methods. By recycling rare earth metals from electronic waste, we’re also helping to close the loop on these materials.
Where does your technology stand today?
We’re pursuing two objectives. First, we’re scaling up the process and building our first laboratory-scale pilot reactor. Second, we’re broadening the range of waste streams we can process to include magnetic waste from hard drives and electric motors – all in close collaboration with industry partners, so that we can base the technology on real conditions. At the same time, our growing team is significantly speeding up developments.
“We need to improve recycling processes and limit the use of these critical metals to what is essential.”
How do you plan to put the technology into practice?
We want the recycling to happen locally. Rather than huge, capital-intensive plants, we envisage modular units that can be installed directly at recycling facilities or manufacturing sites. This avoids long transport routes and helps companies retain control over their supply chains. What excites me is the idea that a piece of junk can be turned back into something valuable – right where the waste is generated.
How large could the impact of your technology be?
The potential is huge. The concentration of rare earths in natural deposits is extremely low and this concentration varies greatly depending on the rare earth: producing just one tonne can generate up to 2,000 tonnes of toxic waste. Then there’s the issue of geopolitical dependencies – more than 90 per cent of global production takes place in China. Rare earths are very often far more concentrated in electronic waste than in nature. From both an environmental and a technical standpoint, it makes much more sense to extract them from secondary sources. While primary mining will remain necessary as demand continues to grow, we’ll need to improve recycling processes and limit the use of these critical metals to what is essential.
Moving from the lab into entrepreneurship is a big leap. How does the Pioneer Fellowship help you?
My academic research revolves around experiments, data analysis and publications. But as a founder, my responsibilities range from industry relations, business strategies and recruiting to investor pitches. The Pioneer Fellowship helps me bring these multiple roles together – by offering coaching, access to entrepreneurial expertise and a strong network of committed founders. It also allows us to continue using ETH laboratories – a decisive advantage given the infrastructural needs and safety requirements of a chemistry start-up.
