Italian company Circular Materials says it recovered two valuable metals from industrial wastewater in what it describes as a major step for cleaner industry in Europe, Waste360 reported.
The company extracted its first kilogram of ruthenium and its first ton of nickel, which were captured before they could enter the environment as pollutants. Ruthenium is used in electronics, hydrogen production, chemicals, and luxury goods. Nickel is essential for strong steel and lithium batteries, which are key to electric cars and renewable energy, the news outlet reported.
The European Commission made Circular Materials' project a so-called "strategic" one for the bloc under its Critical Raw Materials Act in March. The designation puts the project on a priority list, making it easier to apply for public funding, meaning the company can build new facilities more quickly, per a news release.
At the heart of the breakthrough is the firm's patented SWaP process, short for supercritical water precipitation. It recovers metals from wastewater with high efficiency and without producing toxic sludge.
Tests show that the process cuts carbon pollution linked to ruthenium by more than 99% compared with conventional mining, according to Waste360. For nickel, the process goes further, becoming carbon negative by preventing more emissions than it produces.
This kind of recycling can reduce waste, keep dangerous materials out of water supplies, and support industries that make products people use every day, from batteries to smartphones. It can also lower costs by reducing reliance on mining, the news outlet reported.
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It comes amid growing calls to move toward a circular economy, a model that keeps materials in use for as long as possible instead of discarding them. Supporters say this can cut pollution, save resources, and reduce costs.
Similar advances are happening elsewhere. Chinese researchers have found a cleaner way to recycle solar panels, and PakTech has earned recognition for recyclable can carriers. Both show how industries are working to keep valuable materials in circulation.
Circular Materials was founded in 2019 and opened its first plant in Padua. It has planned a larger facility in Italy by 2026 and a network of recovery hubs across Europe by 2030, according to the release.
The company is building a "solid and integrated circular supply chain capable of transforming industrial waste into new resources, preventing the loss of critical materials," founder Marco Bersani said, per Waste360. "With the industrial-scale recovery of ruthenium and nickel, we are shaping a strategy that reduces dependence on external sources, lowers the environmental impact of production processes, and valorizes waste streams that until now have been dispersed."
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