In order to ensure a certain level of security of supply and to protect the environment, there is a great need for recycling processes for rare earths, which are used in the ‘high-tech industry’ as well as extensively in ‘green technologies’, for example in batteries for hybrid cars, wind turbines and solar cells. Molten salts and ionic liquids can be used to recover rare earths from electronic waste. There is enormous potential here, but also a great need for research. One paper discusses results on the electrochemical deposition of dysprosium, samarium and samarium-cobalt in ionic liquids and outlines the challenges associated with the recovery of these metals.
The following paper deals with the electrochemical separation of cobalt and nickel, which also play a key role in the energy transition.
The programme concludes with a presentation by the FGK, which highlights initiatives for material conservation and recycling in plastic metallisation, particularly with regard to scrap processing and the recovery of palladium, nickel and hexavalent and trivalent chromium from electrolytes.