Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) has successfully extracted critical metals gallium and platinum using its licensed diamide technology, with laboratory recoveries exceeding 99%.
The company’s partner, the University of Edinburgh, has demonstrated that the tertiary diamide ligand technology can selectively recover gallium and platinum from electronic waste under specific laboratory conditions.
The technology achieved greater than 99% gallium recovery and approximately 99–100% platinum recovery.
Gallium is essential to advanced semiconductors and modern electronics, with applications across integrated circuits, LEDs, telecommunications, power electronics, aerospace, and defence. Platinum is a high‑value critical metal used in catalysts, electronics, chemical processing, and emerging hydrogen technologies.
Laboratory testwork investigated how process conditions can be tuned to selectively recover different high‑value metals from e‑waste.
The results provide a foundation for expanding the diamide technology into a broader critical‑metals recovery platform, though further development and commercial evaluation will be required.
The process begins by dissolving metals from e‑waste into a hydrochloric acid solution. Under stronger acidic conditions, the diamide achieved greater than 99% precipitation of gallium. When platinum was present as Pt(IV), the diamide captured it, with complete Pt(IV) uptake achieved under selected laboratory conditions.
CEO Iggy Tan says the technology’s ability to selectively target different metals by changing conditions presents significant opportunities.
“Under one set of conditions, it strongly prefers gold. Under stronger acidic conditions, our research shows it can also precipitate gallium and platinum,” Tan notes.
The work remains at the laboratory stage, and further testwork, process development, and scale‑up would be required to determine whether this chemistry can ultimately form part of a commercially viable e‑waste recovery process.
Lithium Universe is a diversified critical metals company advancing lithium carbonate refineries in Québec, Canada, and Texas, US, alongside e‑waste recycling technologies for gold, silver, and copper recovery.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Lithium Universe
