EU Launches €2.3 Million Project to Recycle Nuclear Waste into Rare Earth Gold
ESRF reported, The European Union has initiated the “MaLaR – Novel 2D-3D Materials for Lanthanide Recovery from Nuclear Waste” project, backed by €2.3 million in funding.
This three-year initiative brings together experts from Germany, France, Sweden, and Romania to develop innovative methods for extracting lanthanides—valuable rare earth elements like gold and more—from nuclear waste.
Lanthanides are critical components in various technologies, including smartphone batteries, magnets, and medical equipment like MRI machines.
Currently, the majority of these materials are sourced from China, leading to supply chain vulnerabilities. By recycling lanthanides from nuclear waste, the EU aims to enhance resource security and promote sustainable practices.
The project is coordinated by Professor Kristina Kvashnina of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The team will focus on developing novel 3D materials to serve as effective sorbents, facilitating the separation of specific radioactive elements from liquid nuclear waste.
Our goal is to engineer a breakthrough material that initially isolates individual elements from synthetic mixtures. While we are starting with small steps, the vision is set on vast applications soon," explains Prof. Kvashnina.
This approach not only addresses the challenges of nuclear waste management but also contributes to a circular economy by repurposing waste into valuable resources.
This initiative reflects a broader European effort to establish a self-sufficient and sustainable supply chain for rare earth elements, reducing dependence on imports and mitigating environmental impacts associated with traditional mining.
