Dive summary:
- Researchers at Yale University are calling for the implementation of an international policy for recycling scarce specialty metals in consumer goods.
- Specialty metals account for more than half of the metals in the periodic table but because they are used in small amounts, recovery can be so technologically and economically challenging that recovery is seldom attempted.
- Recycling these specialty metals in consumer electronics can save as much as a factor of 10 or 20 in energy consumption according to one author of the study.
From the article:
An international policy is needed for recycling scarce specialty metals that are critical in the production of consumer goods, according to Yale University researchers in Science.
“A recycling rate of zero for specialty metals is alarming when we consider that their use is growing quickly,” said co-author Barbara Reck, a research scientist at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Specialty metals, which include rare earth elements such as indium, gallium and germanium, account for more than 30 of the 60 metals in the periodic table. Because they are used in small amounts for very precise technological purposes, such as red phosphors, high-strength magnets, thin-film solar cells and computer chips, recovery can be so technologically and economically challenging that the attempt is seldom made. ...
