How can we recover valuable metals from industrial waste?

Did you know that Europe strongly depends on the import of metals from China for its solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars' The SOCRATES project aims to change this: the researchers are working on eco-friendly ways to recover these metals from industrial waste. The bottom ashes of incinerators, or the waste from zinc and copper production: all of it has unmined potential. The sludge from zinc production, for instance, contains valuable metals and minerals that are lost as the waste is stored in huge landfills. The researchers of the SOCRATES project are developing zero-waste and toxin-free methods to recover the valuable metals that can be used for clean-tech technologies. Once these metals have been recovered, the scientists transform the remaining minerals into an eco-friendly cement for houses and streets - today's waste, tomorrow's resources.