Updated

Updated · Futura · Aug 13

Marie Perrin Launches Reecover to Extract Europium in 1 Step as China Controls 70% of Rare Earths

Updated

Updated · Futura · Aug 13

Marie Perrin Launches Reecover to Extract Europium in 1 Step as China Controls 70% of Rare Earths

1 articles · Updated · Futura · Aug 13

28-year-old chemist Marie Perrin has launched Reecover to industrialize a patented process that recovers europium from discarded fluorescent bulbs and neon tubes rather than mined ore.
Up to 20 times more europium can be found in that waste than in natural ore, and Perrin’s sulfur-based chemistry isolates the metal in a single step within hours.
The European Patent Office says the method is faster, cleaner and more sustainable than conventional oxygen-based extraction because it cuts chemical waste, pollution and energy use.
Reecover arrives as governments and industry seek alternatives in strategic metals, with China controlling more than 70% of rare earth supply.
Perrin, born in Houston to French parents, has also been named among the EPO’s 10 Young Inventors of the Year from 450 applicants worldwide.

Sources

Could this rapid sulfur-based extraction method be adapted to recover other critical rare earths like neodymium from electronic waste?

How does this urban mining startup safely manage the highly toxic mercury hidden inside the fluorescent bulbs it processes?

Will scaling up the recycling of discarded electronics ultimately break global reliance on environmentally damaging rare-earth mining monopolies?

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