IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute has demonstrated on a pilot scale that rare earth elements can be recovered from mine wastewater with over 90 per cent efficiency. The membrane technology tested can help reduce Europe’s reliance on the import of critical raw materials that are essential for the green transition.
Rare earth elements (REE) are crucial for green technologies such as wind turbines, electric cars and energy-efficient lighting. However the EU currently imports almost one hundred percent of its requirements. In a recently published report from the Mistra TerraClean research programme, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute shows that membrane-based technology can recover these critical metals even from highly diluted and complex aqueous solutions.
