Rare earths

Critical raw materials: the recycling supply chain grinds to a halt halfway through

At the Oimce symposium, the groups described a production chain that ends with mechanical processing: there are no industrial hydrometallurgical plants for the silicon and silver used in the panels

by Lorenzo Pace

1 October 2026

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4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The 25 per cent demanded by the EU
Every year, 100,000 tonnes of small electrical appliances and 6,000 tonnes of batteries end up in unsorted waste
No hydrometallurgical plants
Millions of tonnes of photovoltaic panels to be disposed of

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Inside an old smartphone, a solar panel or an electric car battery are metals that Europe sources almost entirely from abroad. It is possible to recover them, but very little is being done at present. Rare earths, which are used in the magnets of electric motors and wind turbine blades, are recycled at a rate of around 1 per cent. As for the silicon in photovoltaic panels, in Europe, none is recycled at all.

The 25 per cent demanded by the EU

These are delays that Italia is paying for in a race against the clock. By 2030, the European Union wants recycling to account for at least 25 per cent of the consumption of strategic raw materials, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths. This target is set out in the EU regulation on critical raw materials and applies to the Union as a whole, not to individual countries. Alongside recycling, Brussels is also working on storage projects.

This was the focus of the Minister for Enterprise, Adolfo Urso, at the third symposium of the Italian Observatory on Critical Raw Materials and Energy (Oimce): Italia has put forward the port and industrial area of Marghera as a candidate site, and a second site could be established near Rotterdam. With the forthcoming Business Decree, or the Budget Bill, “we intend to finalise the project to reduce our dependence on foreign sources and become the European hub for the recycling of critical raw materials,” said Urso.

Much of the event, organised by Wec Italia and Assorisorse, centred on recycling and the 25 per cent target set by the EU. The minister added that, for the recycling and processing of critical raw materials, ‘the Interporto Quadrante Europa, the ports of Trieste and Ravenna, and the Tassullo mine in Val di Non’ could be involved, ‘to ensure integration between ports, logistics, industry and mineral resources’.

The symposium, through reports from the working groups – which bring together consortia, research centres, businesses and universities – highlighted the key issues and, at the same time, the steps that need to be taken.

Every year, 100,000 tonnes of small electrical appliances and 6,000 tonnes of batteries end up in unsorted waste

The first problem is collection. According to Erion, a non-profit multi-consortium system for Extended Producer Responsibility, every year 100,000 tonnes of small electrical appliances and 6,000 tonnes of batteries end up in unsorted waste. And 38 per cent of the electronic waste collected does not receive proper treatment, but ends up in parallel channels, outside authorised circuits. Where collection points are increasing, however, the figures are improving: in Naples, 73 new collection points – including those in shopping centres and schools – led to a 13 per cent increase in collection in January 2026 compared with the previous year.

No hydrometallurgical plants

The second issue is that the supply chain stops halfway. The working group, which involved Assorisorse and the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation, illustrates this using solar panels as an example. In Italia, three plants dismantle and shred them, whilst a fourth is just getting started: this is how glass, aluminium and copper are recovered. However, extracting silicon and silver requires a chemical process – hydrometallurgy – and there are currently no industrial-scale facilities. The only project of this kind is not expected until 2028.

Millions of tonnes of photovoltaic panels to be disposed of

Meanwhile, the volume of decommissioned panels will rise from 28,000 tonnes a year to 168,000 tonnes in 2040, when those installed in 2011–12 under the Conto Energia scheme reach the end of their lifespan. As for batteries, ‘black mass’ – the powder obtained by shredding them – is produced, but there is no refining process to transform it into material for new batteries.

On paper, the plants do not cost much. According to pre-feasibility estimates by the group coordinated by the Italian Association of Chemical Engineers (Aidic), between 5 and 21 million euros are required for panels, magnets and batteries, which would pay for themselves in a period ranging from just over a year to three and a half years. The main obstacles are ‘excessively long and complex’ authorisation times and a ‘lack of national awareness’ regarding hydrometallurgical processes.

This is why, in her speech, Assorisorse President Francesca Zarri spoke of critical raw materials ‘not as a single issue of supply, but as a challenge involving the entire supply chain: resources, processing, technologies, skills, recovery and recycling’. It will be essential, added Marco Margheri, president of WEC Italia, to adopt a strategic approach to critical minerals and to focus on international relations: “Italy has a significant opportunity with the US, Canada, the UK and Québec, as well as in its outreach to Latin America and Africa, in the spirit that the government has adopted with the Mattei Plan.”

Skills are also a key issue. The group led by the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Enel Foundation points out that there has not been a degree course in Mining Engineering in Italia since 1990 and proposes a ‘Skills Pact’ between universities and businesses, featuring new degree programmes and industrial PhDs.