BioKollekt - A biobased material recycling process promotes circular economy

Recycling high-value products is a pivotal part of a circular economy. Current high-tech products contain a highly complex mixture of elements in low concentrations. Elements in these mixtures usually possess similar chemical and physical properties, which poses technical difficulties when considering a potential recycling process. Currently, only 22% terbium, 1% cerium and 1% lanthanum used in electronic devices like fluorescent light bulbs is recycled.1 A large proportion of these precious elements is lost. There is a need for novel techniques to be developed in order to recycle elements that are in low concentrations and in a complex matrix. Junior research group BioKollekt has begun the design and development of highly selective bio-based collector materials for a more sustainable recycling process of these elements. Biological peptide structures were identified in a highly competitive process for their selectivity and affinity for the fluorescent phosphor lanthanum phosphate doped with cerium and terbium (LAP). LAP-selective binding peptides coupled to a carrier material could be used in the future as separation tools for the selective recycling of LAP from lamp phosphors of fluorescent light bulbs. The BioKollekt approach uses LAP as a “proof of principle” to show the efficiency of biocollector materials. Figure 1 demonstrates the BioKollekt concept. The identification of highly selective biomolecules for preferred target materials (step 1) has been already achieved. In the second step, carrier materials (e.g. hydrophobic beads) will be functionalized with material binding-selective peptides. Biocollectors will interact selectively with their target material in a separation process (step 3-4). Finally, the target material and biocollector will be recycled and reused (step 5). The talk will present the BioKollekt concept and its achievements.