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Last spring, the Department of Chemistry at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ (Finland) and the Finnish Environmental Institute launched a joint UC-Mobility project to develop new technological solutions for recovering critical raw materials from end-of-life electric scooters and electronic bikes.  

- Critical metals such as cobalt and neodymium are recovered from waste fractions using 3D printed scavenger technology developed at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. This technology offers the capability to selectively separate critical and commercially valuable metals that can be reused, says Siiri Perämäki, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry.   

Samples of electric micromobility vehicles have already been acquired and dismantled. They are currently undergoing elemental analysis. The project will also involve piloting the developed technology on a larger scale and assessing the life-cycle impacts of the developed technology.  

- By conducting trials on a larger scale, around five litres, we will get a better idea of how the recovery process works and how it can be scaled up to a larger processing plant, explains ±Ê±ð°ù䳾ä°ì¾±.&²Ô²ú²õ±è; 

Ensuring the future supply of electricmicromobility 

The Finnish Environmental Institute will assess the life-cycle impacts of electric micromobility and the 3D printed scavenger technology developed by the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and review the regulation of micromobility and its waste fractions. In addition, the Finnish Environmental Institute will estimate the stocks of electric micromobility vehicles  and their future  material needs.   

- Based on the results of the project, recommendations will be made for better management of waste fractions from electric micromobility and for the recovery of critical raw materials from the fractions, explains Emilia Suomalainen, Leading Researcher at the Finnish Environmental Institute.    

The three-year UC-Mobility project started on 1 March 2023 and has received €896 500 in funding from Business Finland.  

More information: 

• Website: /en/projects/urban-circular-economy-in-practice-by-managing-the-recovery-of-critical-metals-in-micro-e-mobility 

• Senior Lecturer Siiri Perämäki, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, siiri.e.peramaki@jyu.fi, +358 40 805 3495 

• Leading Researcher Emilia Suomalainen, Finnish Environmental Institute, emilia.suomalainen@syke.fi