Research & 
Development

R&D

Recovery of all Critical Raw Materials from e-waste is still unexplored territory

Critical Raw Materials are applied at nano level in electronics, which makes the recovery according to others very complex and economically unfeasible.
Yes, it is a fact that the recovery of all Critical Raw Materals from e-waste is still unexploited territory but we believe that it is feasible.

In order to prevent the permanent loss of Critical Raw Materials, much research is still needed. Research that leads to the large-scale recovery of especially those elements that are not yet or insufficiently recovered.

CRITICAL. investigates new efficient technology configurations for the recovery of Critical Raw Materials from electronic waste ('e-waste'). In this context, CRITICAL. continues a subsidy programme awarded to Circular Industries*, for the extraction of the elements Gallium, Germanium and Indium ('Ga', 'Ge' and 'In') from discarded flat panel displays and solar panels. The elements Ga and Ge create the colors in a LED flat panel display. The element In is often applied as Indium Tin Oxide ('ITO') coating in glass, to create conductive layers in touchscreens. In addition, there are numerous other high-tech applications for these elements, such as photonic chips.

* CRITICAL. has acquired the assets (a.o. Intellectual Property) of Circular Industries and will further develop its Urban Mining Factory ('UMF') project.

CLOSER project

The awarded CLOSER subsidy concerns the Interregional Innovation Investments ('I3') instrument. CLOSER bridges the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act ('CRMA') and the EU's Chips Act ('CA'), with an end Technology Readiness Level of 7 to 9 (TRL 7-9), out of 9.

The aim of the CLOSER project is to scale-up the EU supply chain for circular semi-conductors and photonic chips. This is due to the fact that in 2023 China has restricted the export of Gallium and Germanium to the EU, resulting from a trade conflict between the US and China. The US has demanded that the Netherlands no longer exports chip manufacturing machines to China and no longer performs maintenance on machines already delivered. This conflict affects the Dutch high-tech industry, one of the global semi-conductor powers and an absolute pioneer in the field of photonic chips.

CLOSER project scope:

  1. ⁠Techniques in collection, extraction, purification, revamping, and reclaiming for sustainable e-waste processing.
  2. ⁠Boosting EU semiconductors production for open strategic autonomy.
  3. ⁠Promoting circularity in photovoltaics for sustainable energy solutions.
  4. Advancing digitisation to support circular value chains and the digital product passport.