An electrolyser contains electrodes manufactured from rare metals. In a joint project, Nobian, Asahi Kasei, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt are working on a method to reuse these materials, making their use in salt electrolyzers more efficient.
Electrolysers produce chlorine, caustic soda and hydrogen from brine using electricity in the chlor-alkali industry. These chemicals play an important role in energy transition, including in wind turbine blades, batteries and insulation materials. Indispensable in the electrolysis process are electrodes, which play a crucial role in separating water into hydrogen and oxygen. The production of these electrodes requires rare metals, including iridium and ruthenium.
Price hikes
Several factors are causing sharp price increases of these rare metals. These include the increasing demand for batteries and electronic components, as well as geopolitical developments. Hydrogen production also requires electrolysers. Therefore, with the growing interest in hydrogen, the demand for the rare metals is only expected to rise further in the future.
This growing demand makes it attractive for the chlor-alkali industry to engage in more effective utilisation and reuse of rare metals. The project by Nobian, Asahi Kasei, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt responds to this and works on a method that makes this possible.
Recycled rare metals as raw material for new electrodes
Nobian and Asahi Kasei already conducted a pilot project in Europe in 2023. This project mainly focused on the reuse and reduction of existing cells. The project starting now is a follow-up and focuses on recovering recycled rare metals from both cells and electrodes that have reached end-of-life. They can then serve as raw material for new electrodes.
Together, Nobian and Asahi Kasei aim to create an ecosystem within the chlor-alkali industry for the reuse of rare metals. Among other things, this should ensure a stable supply of electrodes for salt electrolysis, which in turn should contribute to a stable supply of caustic soda and chlorine.
The project has several objectives:
- improving the circularity of the ecosystem,
- reducing carbon emissions throughout the supply chain by using recycled in cells and electrodes,
- extending the reuse of rare metals from electrodes to the electrolysis of water.
Critical Raw Material Act
"By securing these critical raw materials, we are contributing to targets in the EU's Critical Raw Material Act, which requires that at least 25% of strategic raw materials within the EU be recycled by 2030, including iridium and ruthenium. This recycling initiative is fully in line with Nobian's Grow Greener Together sustainability approach. Through such collaborations, we are working to reduce our impact on the environment and also to minimise the mining of these rare metals," said Marco Waas, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at Nobian.
Jacky Oonincx, Director of Technology Chlor-Alkali & Chloromethanes at Nobian, explains, "Our chlor-alkali electrolysis technology uses rare metals such as ruthenium and iridium. In collaboration with Asahi Kasei Corporation, one of our main electrolyser suppliers, we are developing methods to recycle these metals from electrodes. Most of the ruthenium and iridium can be recovered and will be reused along with titanium and nickel to produce new, recycled electrodes and cell frames, creating a circular value chain."
'Extracting more value from key metals'
Yoshifumi Kado, Senior General Manager of the Ion Exchange Membrane & Electrolysis System Division at Asahi Kasei, added: "This initiative marks a significant step forward for the chlor-alkali industry and furthers our commitment to promoting circular economy solutions. By combining the expertise of Asahi Kasei, Nobian, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt, we can extract even more value from the important metals used in electrolyzer technology while turning sustainability goals into practical, scalable results."
The project involves several parties: Nobian, Asahi Kasei, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt. Nobian is a European player in salt, essential chemistry and storage caverns. Asahi Kasei is a chemical company from Japan. Furuya Metal specialises in metals for industrial use. Mastermelt focuses on precious metal recycling, recovering metals from industrial waste streams, jewellery, manufacturing scrap and end-of-life products, among others.
