Zurich researchers pioneer rare earth e-waste recycling
Rare earth elements play a crucial role in modern electronics, powering fluorescent lamps, magnets in hard drives and are used in the production of generators for wind farms.
Currently less than 1% of rare earth materials are recycled, due to the immense energy and chemical effort to separate elements in the materials, which comes at significant expense, according to ETH Zurich University.
ETH Pioneer Fellow, Dr. Marie Perrin and her supervisor Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Professor Dr. Victor Mougel developed a new method that allows the efficient separation of these elements, using a specially designed extractant to alter their solubility.
"We can separate these elements extremely well, and in particular, one of these elements, europium, that is found in fluorescent lamps," Mougel said.
The discovery comes as the European Union is pushing towards greater recycling of rare earth metals, as rising environmental concerns and geopolitical pressures are driving it to seek greater resource independence.
Perrin told Reuters this innovation seeks to help the EU to meet its objects under the Critical Raw Material Act agreed in 2023 under which the bloc aims to mine 10%, process 40% and recycle 25% of its needs by 2030.
The rare earth metals market is currently dominated by China, which controls up to 70% of global rare-earths mining, 85% of refining capacity, consultancy AlixPartners said.
The next goal is to bring the technology to scale by working with industrial partners, so that they can eventually have in-house recycling capacity, Perrin added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Meta's flirty chatbot and the man who never made it home
Follow on Apple or Spotify. Listen on the Reuters app. Investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz traces the story of a cognitively impaired man who was invited by a flirty AI chatbot to meet up in New York City. He left over the objections of his alarmed family - and he never made it home. Listen as Jeff and host Jonah Green explore the ethical implications of AI companionship and the potential risks this technology poses, particularly to vulnerable people. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit to opt out of targeted advertising. Further Reading Meta's flirty AI chatbot invited a retiree to New York. He never made it home., opens new tab Meta's AI rules have let bots hold 'sensual' chats with kids, offer false medical info, opens new tab U.S. Senator Hawley launches probe into Meta AI policies, opens new tab
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Meta faces backlash over AI policy that lets bots have ‘sensual' conversations with children
A backlash is brewing against Meta over what it permits its AI chatbots to say. An internal Meta policy document, seen by Reuters, showed the social-media giant's guidelines for its chatbots allowed the AI to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual', generate false medical information, and assist users in arguing that Black people are 'dumber than white people'. Singer Neil Young quit the social media platform on Friday, his record company said in a statement, the latest in a string of the singer's online-oriented protests. 'At Neil Young's request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,' Reprise Records announced. 'Meta's use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with Facebook.' The report also has generated a response from US lawmakers. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, launched an investigation into the company Friday, writing in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg that he would investigate 'whether Meta's generative-AI products enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children, and whether Meta misled the public or regulators about its safeguards'. Republican senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said she supports an investigation into the company. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, called the policies 'deeply disturbing and wrong', adding that section 230, a law that shields internet companies from liability for the content posted to their platforms, should not protect companies' generative AI chatbots. 'Meta and Zuckerberg should be held fully responsible for any harm these bots cause,' he said. On Thursday, Reuters published an article about internal Meta policy documents that detailed ways in which chatbots are allowed to generate content. Meta confirmed the document's authenticity but said that it had removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children after receiving a list of questions. According to Meta's 200-page internal policy seen by Reuters, titled 'GenAI: Content Risk Standards', the controversial rules for chatbots were approved by Meta's legal, public policy and engineering staff, including its chief ethicist. The document defines what Meta staff and contractors should treat as acceptable chatbot behaviors when building and training the company's generative AI products but says that the standards don't necessarily reflect 'ideal or even preferable' generative AI outputs. The policy document said it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that 'every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply' but it also limits what Reuters described as 'sexy talk'. The document states, for example, that 'it is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable, including phrases like 'soft rounded curves invite my touch'. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion The document also addressed limitations on Meta AI prompts on hate speech, AI generation of sexualized images of public figures, often sexualized, violence, and other contentious and potentially actionable content generation. The standards also state that Meta AI has leeway to create false content so long as there's an explicit acknowledgment that the material is untrue. 'The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,' a statement from Meta reads. Although chatbots are prohibited from having such conversations with minors, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said, he acknowledged that the company's enforcement was inconsistent. Meta is planning to spend around $65bn on AI infrastructure this year part of a broader strategy to become a leader in artificial intelligence. The head-long rush into AI comes by tech giants come with complex questions over limitations and standards over how, with what information, and with whom, AI chatbots are allowed to engage with users. Reuters also reported on Friday that a cognitively impaired New Jersey man grew infatuated with 'Big sis Billie', a Facebook Messenger chatbot with a young woman's persona. Thongbue 'Bue' Wongbandue, 76, reportedly packed up his belongings to visit 'a friend' in New York in March. The so-called friend turned out to be a generative artificial intelligence chatbot that had repeatedly reassured the man she was real and had invited him to her apartment, even providing an address. But Wongbandue fell near a parking lot on his way to New York, injuring his head and neck. After three days on life support, he was pronounced dead on 28 March . Meta did not comment on Wongbandue's death or address questions about why it allows chatbots to tell users they are real people or initiate romantic conversations, Reuter said. The company did, however, say that Big sis Billie 'is not Kendall Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner', referencing a partnership with the reality TV star.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Chinese state media calls U.S. a 'surveillance empire' over trackers in chip shipments
BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The United States' practice of installing location trackers in chip shipments at risk of diversion to China reflects the "instincts of a surveillance empire," China's state-run media outlet Xinhua said in a commentary published on Friday. Reuters reported earlier this week that U.S. authorities had secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips to detect diversions to China, which is under U.S. curbs for advanced chip exports. The Xinhua commentary, titled "America turns chip trade into a surveillance game," cited "reports" that Washington had embedded such trackers, accusing the United States of running "the world's most sprawling intelligence apparatus". The U.S. government has in the past few years tightened restrictions on the exports of advanced chips as well as related technology and equipments to China, as the two superpowers vie for technological dominance. The Chinese commentary follows longstanding accusations from Washington and its Western allies that China could use some exported products, from telecommunications equipment to vehicles, for surveillance, posing potential security risks. In 2022, the Biden administration banned the sale and import of new telecommunications equipment from several Chinese firms, including Huawei, citing national security concerns. In January, it intensified scrutiny by targeting China-made cars and trucks. In its commentary, Xinhua accused the U.S. government of seeing its trading partners as "rivals to be tripped up or taken down," adding that "if U.S. chips are seen as Trojan horses for surveillance, customers will look elsewhere." China's cyberspace watchdog last month said it had asked U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to explain whether its H20 chips had any backdoor security risks - a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls. Chinese authorities have also cautioned domestic tech firms over their use of H20 chips, Reuters recently reported.
