Rare earth elements play a crucial role in modern technology, being essential in everything from fluorescent lights and computer hard drives to automobiles, defense industries, and wind turbines. However, less than 1% of rare earth elements are successfully recovered from electronic waste globally, primarily due to the high energy costs, complex chemical processes, and expenses associated with separating these elements from electronic materials.

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, led by Peilin with supervisor Mugg, have developed a novel method employing a special solvent to increase the solubility of rare earth elements, significantly improving separation efficiency. Peilin stated, "Without proper regulations or innovative pushes for rare earth recovery, achieving this is rather difficult. It has been evident for a long time that continuously mining rare earths is cheaper than examining our waste; hence, I hope we are moving in the right direction to change this situation."

Commonly referred to as rare earths, these elements encompass 17 metallic elements located from atomic numbers 57 to 71 on the periodic table. While they are termed 'rare', they are actually more abundant in the earth's crust than precious metals like gold and platinum. However, rare earth elements are usually dispersed in various minerals and not found in pure metal form, making their extraction highly complex, labor-intensive, and associated with significant environmental pollution problems.

Peilin uses the example of recovering europium from bulbs, explaining that after separating white phosphor from glass, the powder is dissolved with acid, followed by extraction using a special refining agent that yields nearly pure europium. This not only reduces the chemical waste produced during the refining process but also lowers environmental hazards and energy consumption.

Additionally, the concentrated distribution of rare earth elements results in significant uncertainties in the global supply chain. China, being the largest holder of the rare earth industry, sees fluctuations in its export policies that can notably impact markets. This has led to urgency for U.S. President Trump to finalize mineral agreements with Ukraine, as well as emphasizing the core issues surrounding U.S.-China trade tensions related to rare earth exports.

Moreover, Peilin, who is now among the Top 10 Young Innovators of the European Patent Office for 2025, aims for her newly developed technology to contribute toward achieving the European Union’s Key Raw Materials Act, passed in 2023, which mandates that by 2030, 25% of strategic rare earth usage must come from recycling, 40% from processing, and 10% from mining. The future goal is to industrialize this new technology through academic and industrial collaboration, ultimately enabling industries to internally recycle rare earths.

The strategic significance of rare earth metals is rising globally, and Peilin’s invention has garnered significant attention across the industry. This new technology will be featured in the prestigious journal Nature in June 2024.