Electrochemically Assisted Aqueous Reduction of Waste Streams for Metals Recovery and Functional Surfaces

EARMEtal aims to capture precious metals, such as Pt, Pd, Au or Ag, from hydrometallurgical process and waste solutions, in which they are present at concentrations so low that the recovery with current methods is not feasible. Furthermore, precious metals will be deposited, energy efficiently and selectively on 3D networks with controllable porosity, prepared from food processing waste, and stimuli-responsive polymer rings. These surfaces will have an active function (e.g. catalytic or antibacteriality) that can be turned on/off by an external stimulus e.g. by light or other trigger. This allows the deposited surface to be reversible hidden and re-exposed. Furthermore, EARMetal also investigates in parallel recycling strategies for new materials; holistic recycling of these functional materials in their end-of-life is investigated, and hydrometallurgical recycling routes developed for the recovery of both metals and organic materials.