{"id":80547,"date":"2025-05-07T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T01:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/80547\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T01:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T01:00:10","slug":"soundwave-recycling-technology-turns-forever-chemicals-into-renewable-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/80547\/","title":{"rendered":"Soundwave recycling technology turns ‘forever chemicals’ into renewable resources"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Breakthrough<\/p>\n

High-power ultrasound rapidly separates valuable catalyst from underlying polymer membranes in under a minute. Credit: University of Leicester<\/p>\n

A new technique that uses soundwaves to separate materials for recycling could help prevent potentially harmful chemicals leaching into the environment.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Leicester have achieved a major milestone in fuel cell<\/a> recycling, advancing techniques to efficiently separate valuable catalyst materials and fluorinated polymer membranes<\/a> (PFAS) from catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs). The articles are published in RSC Sustainability<\/a> and Ultrasonic Sonochemistry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This development addresses critical environmental challenges posed by PFAS\u2014often referred to as “forever chemicals”\u2014which are known to contaminate drinking water and have serious health implications. The Royal Society of Chemistry<\/a> has urged government intervention to reduce PFAS levels in UK water supplies.<\/p>\n

Fuel cells and water electrolyzers, essential components of hydrogen-powered energy systems, powering cars, trains and buses, depend on CCMs containing precious platinum group metals. However, the strong adhesion between catalyst layers and PFAS membranes has made recycling difficult.<\/p>\n

Researchers at Leicester have developed a scalable method using organic solvent soaking and water ultrasonication to effectively separate these materials, revolutionizing the recycling process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n High-power ultrasound rapidly separates valuable catalyst from underlying polymer membranes in under a minute. Credit: University of Leicester <\/p>\n

Dr. Jake Yang from the University of Leicester School of Chemistry said, “This method is simple and scalable. We can now separate PFAS membranes from precious metals<\/a> without harsh chemicals\u2014revolutionizing how we recycle fuel cells.<\/p>\n

“Fuel cells have been heralded for a long time as the breakthrough technology for clean energy but the high cost of platinum group metals has been seen as a limitation. A circular economy<\/a> in these metals will bring this breakthrough technology one step closer to reality.”<\/p>\n

Building on this success, a follow-up study introduced a continuous delamination process, using a bespoke blade sonotrode that uses high frequency ultrasound to split the membranes to accelerate recycling. The process creates bubbles that collapse when subjected to high pressure<\/a>, meaning the precious catalysts can be separated in seconds at room temperature. The innovative process is both sustainable and economically viable, paving the way for widespread adoption.<\/p>\n

This research was carried out in collaboration with Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. Industry-academia partnerships such as this underscore the importance of collective efforts in driving technological progress.<\/p>\n