Rare earth elements are essential for fluorescent tubes, screens, magnets, and many other objects. These metals are mined and processed almost exclusively in China.
At ETH Zurich, Marie Perrin developed a process that recovers europium from old fluorescent tubes using sulfur-containing molecules: a few steps, yielding at least fifty times more than previous methods. Her doctoral thesis led to the spin-off company REEcover. She explains how a laboratory reaction became a company—and how rare earth elements are found in waste.
Photos will be taken and may be published. The event will be held in English.
