ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Reduce dependence on the supply of metals of the platinum group, reduce environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable management of resources. These are the principles inspired by the European project CHemPGM, to which ENEA participates, dedicated to the development of safe and green strategies for the use and recovery of platinum, palladium and rodium, included by the European Commission in the list of “critical raw materials” for lack of supply and significant gap between supply and supply. As the project manager explains, the researcher Maria Luisa Grilli of the Department of Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources (TERIN), “the project activities focus on the metals of the platinum group, on the development of sustainable and efficient methods for their recovery from secondary sources – such as exhausted catalysts – and use in high-value applications such as new catalysts or nanomaterials”.
The metals of the platinum group are, in fact, used as catalysts in numerous chemical processes, such as the capture of CO2 and its conversion into renewable fuels. ENEA, within the project, is involved in the creation of catalysts obtained from recycled materials.
“These catalysts – Grilli continues – are derived from a solution used to selectively dissolve the components of the catalytic pot and can, in the future, be used also in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells and electrolyzers.” Grilli points out, moreover, that “CHemPGM offers an important opportunity of professional growth for researchers involved, thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the project and the continuous exchange between the world of research and industry, in particular related to the fields of chemistry, materials science, engineering, mineral processing and metallurgy. It represents a virtuous example of cross-fertilization, that is to transfer knowledge and ideas from the academic world to the market and vice versa”.
– Press Office photos ENEA –
(ITALPRESS).
