In the global race for critical raw materials, the Lazio Region has decided to play the card you don't expect: that of electronic waste. With the INSPIREE project, the region is preparing to become the European pioneer in the recovery of rare earths from spent magnets. A silent revolution that could change the cards on the table in the geopolitical game of strategic resources.
Critical raw materials, an urban mine in the heart of Lazio
Who would have thought that the future of Europe could be hidden in an old hard drive? Yet, it is precisely here that Lazio decided to seek its fortune. TO ceccano, a quiet municipality in the province of Frosinone, something extraordinary is about to be born: a cutting-edge plant for the recovery of critical raw materials from electronic waste.
The project INSPIRE it's a real challenge to the way we think about resources. Here, old computers and electric motors are no longer waste to be disposed of but precious urban mines from which to extract rare earths such as neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium. Elements with an unpronounceable name, but of inestimable value for modern industry.
The Italian response to the European challenge
Why all this excitement around these critical raw materials? The answer is simple, and I summarize it in one word: independence. Europe has realized that it is too dependent on third countries for the supply of these crucial materials. And when it comes to dependence in geopolitics, things get serious.
The European Commission has declared an urgency to address Europe's dependence on the rest of the world for critical raw materials in more and more sectors.
The Italian government did not stand by and watch. It recently approved the "Critical Raw Materials" law decree, transposing the Critical Raw Materials Act regulation of the European Union. In other words: it would be nice to "start our own business" instead of continuing to shop at the global supermarket of resources. It's not a given that we will succeed, but the intentions are there, and they seem excellent.
How does the process work?
We start with disassembling the magnets, an operation that requires the precision of a surgeon and the patience of a saint. Then we move on to phase two: the one involving rare earths. That is to say the recovery of REE (Rare Earth Elements) oxalates via hydrometallurgy.
Don't worry if these terms sound like ancient Aramaic to you. The important thing is that the process has a very low environmental impact. Why save the planet by polluting it (by the way: you know what happens to plant trees in the city without also intervening on emissions?) would be a bit like treating a migraine with a hammer.
Dizzying numbers
Let's move on to the data, because they are the ones that give the true measure of this undertaking. The dismantling plant will be able to process 1.000 tonnes of electric rotors per year. The hydrometallurgical one, no less, will be able to handle 2.000 tons of permanent magnets per year. The result? Approximately 500 tons per year of REE oxalates.
To understand what this means, think that this quantity is sufficient to run one million hard drives and laptops, plus 10 million permanent magnets for electric automotive. It's as if every year, from a pile of scrap, we manage to create a small technological city.
An alliance of brilliant minds
Itelyum, the lead company, has put together a circular economy dream team. There is EIT Raw Materials, the largest consortium in the global raw materials sector. There is Erion, expert in waste management and the valorization of secondary raw materials. And then Glob Eco, with its experience in the treatment of WEEE, and the University of L'Aquila, which developed and patented hydrometallurgical technology.
And the Lazio region, which I mentioned at the beginning of the article? He's certainly not watching. As underlined by the Councilor for Budget and Economic Planning Giancarlo Righini and the Head of Secretariat Pietro Stabile, Lazio is a candidate to become a true champion of green economy. The target? Combining territorial development, environmental protection and attention to the community.
Critical raw materials, a circular future
As the INSPIREE project gets underway, we can't help but wonder: is this the future? A world where our e-waste becomes the raw material for tomorrow's technologies? I hope so, maybe yes. Probably yes.
The real treasure is not what we extract from the earth, but what we manage to recover from what we have already used. INSPIREE reminds us that sometimes, to move forward, you have to learn to look back. The seed of our future could be hidden in that pile of electronic waste. A greener, more sustainable and, perhaps, a little wiser future.