Did you know that without Antimony your car would never start?
Antimony (Sb) a metallic, silvery and hard metal used to produce semiconductor devices, such as infrared detectors and diodes, among others. For its properties, it is the perfect alloy to combine with other metals such as Lead, Tin and Copper. I fact, it is used to increase the durability of lead when combined with it.
Antimony has many applications as an allow, but it is mainly used in the welding of car batteries for its properties when alloyed with lead! This means that thanks to Antimony your car engine is able to start!
Unfortunately, Antimony is very scarce in the EU and is mostly produced China, according to a report from the European Comission. Furthermore, the recovery rate for this element is of 28%, meaning that there are very few solutions that recover or intend to recycle Antimony to generate a marketable end-product.
In RECOPPs, we are developing two recovery protocols that aim to recover Critical Raw Materials, Bismuth and Antimony, from two different waste streams generated during the production of Copper.
In RECOPPs, we aim to recover this Critical Raw Material to promote circular economy and ensure its supply for the EU.
For you.
Source:
- Antimony (Sb) – Chemical properties, Health and Environmental effects. (2017). lenntech.com. https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/sb.htm
- Antimony – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (2009). http://Www.Rsc.Org. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/51/antimony