A new method of recovering critical minerals from recycled electronic waste is being developed at the University of Toronto.

Researcher Gisele Azimi’s method of metal collection results in a collection rate of 20 to 38 per cent. Although that doesn’t sound like much, conventionally mined ores only contain 1 to 2 per cent concentrations of these metals. Alzimi’s process involves heating and pressurizing C02, which transforms it into a supercritical fluid. It can then be used to dissolve and extract critical metals from their surroundings. She says she has completed the process on metal from electronics such as car batteries, wind turbine magnets, and fluorescent lightbulbs. In order to learn more about the process, she approached the Canadian Light Source synchrotron at the University of Saskatchewan.

In a society transforming into a carbon free era, she says these critical metals are in great demand. She and her team are now working on piloting the technique and improving profitability, as well as recovering gold and copper from old circuit boards.