‘This should minimize the environmental impact’

A team of scientists at TU Bergakademie Freiberg has developed a groundbreaking method for sustainably recycling rare earth metals from hydrogen electrolysis cells. 

This innovation is especially significant given the growing demand for hydrogen as a green fuel and the environmental toll of mining for rare earth elements.

Hydrogen production from solid oxide electrolysis cells relies on rare earth metals like scandium, lanthanum, and cerium. Each electrolyzer module developed by the scientists uses about 150 kilograms of these materials.

Previously, once these cells reached the end of their life, their rare metals were discarded with steel scrap. This caused a lot of waste and the need to mine.

The team’s new recycling approach allows these materials to be recovered and reused, which could slash material costs and reduce environmental impact.

The results come from a research project led by Dr. Pit Völs and professor Alexandros Charitos. The research team successfully demonstrated its recycling method on a small laboratory scale using just 0.2 grams of cell material. Now, it’s working on larger tests with up to 50 grams.

Here’s how it works: The researchers break apart the used cells and separate the metal parts from the steel. Then, they use acid to soak the metal pieces and pull out the rare earth elements. Later, they clean and separate the metals using eco-friendly chemicals so they can be reused in new cells.

This development represents a crucial advance in the transition to a circular hydrogen economy. This would reduce our dependence on freshly mined materials and create opportunities for cost-effective manufacturing.

“The technology will make it possible to return the recycled metals to the material cycle,” said Charitos, the project leader. “In the long term, this should minimize the environmental impact of the future waste stream generated during hydrogen production.”

If all goes as planned, this rare earth recycling technology could be integrated into commercial hydrogen infrastructure. This would offer a cleaner, cheaper, and more sustainable path forward for green hydrogen.

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