Industry Stakeholder Workshop on Green Technology Critical Metal Recycling

Technology critical metals are an essential distinct subset of specialist, often 'critical' metals, and each has its own specific properties. They are fundamental enablers of most major applications throughout industry and especially in clean energy and digital technologies, and they are essential for the world to decarbonise. The demand for such metals is growing, and a wider range of materials and a circular economy approach are needed for the emerging technologies that will enable the energy transition and net zero aims. The UK is currently 100% import reliant on technology critical metals and so it is essential to recycle these metals and develop a circular economy. Unfortunately, these metals are diffusely distributed and maintaining value is difficult with current non-selective hydrometallurgical techniques.

Through a UKRI Sustainable Manufacturing grant, and the Met4Tech project, the Universities of Leicester (School of Chemistry) and Glasgow (James Watt School of Engineering) are combining novel catalysts with ultrasonic techniques to process a range of waste specimens, including photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices, to bring about almost instantaneous separation or targeted materials, enabling selective, fast-throughput processes to be developed. We are developing a range of sustainable, inexpensive catalysts which can preferably be regenerated using air, emulating what is done in a biological and geological environment. Practical recycling solutions need to be rapid and efficient and the secret to doing this for metals is to increase mass transport and change speciation. Our current research is driving towards industrial scalability, for practical and high value recovery of materials from a variety of metallic and electronic waste streams.

Please join us for this industry-focused stakeholder event, where we will demonstrate novel developments in our technologies, identify key areas of impactful future research and development, and to promote networking in our field with key stakeholders.