Breaking China’s Rare Earth Monopoly: Green Recycling Innovation of UWin Nanotech Takes the Spotlight

Ted Lo, General Manager of UWin Nanotech, and Larry Ho, CTO of UWin, introduced rare earth recycling technology to Japanese companies. Image provided by UWin Nanotech

It has caused a sense of anxiety in the global technology and markets that U.S.-China trade tensions escalating, some of rare earth metals export restrictions by China and U.S. ambitions in Ukraine’s rare earth mines. Rare earth elements (REEs)—such as yttrium (Y), scandium (Sc), dysprosium (Dy), gadolinium (Gd), erbium (Er), lutetium (Lu), and terbium (Tb)—are essential in the manufacturing of smartphones, electric vehicles, military defense systems, and wind turbines.

Yet despite being relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, their extraction is costly, environmentally damaging, and geographically fragmented so that only few countries are willing to mine or has ability to refine them. China currently controls over 90% of the global rare earth supply, posing a serious threat to the supply chains of tech giants like Tesla, Apple, and even the U.S. military.

Application of rare earth elements. Image provided by UWin Nanotech

Now, it turns into a smart idea to recycle rare earth metals from old electronic products such like scrapped mobile phones, used computers, and old fan motors…etc. It will not only reduce pollution, but save us from over-reliance on imports as long as good technology is used to recycle and reuse.

“UWin has been focusing on rare earth metal extracting technology for more than a decade, thistechnology has three highlights which include efficient extraction of 17 kind of rare earth metals, toxin-free and low-pollution green chemical process.”said Kenny Hsu, Chairman of UWin Nanotech. Tradition method to refine rare earth metals uses strong acid or base. In comparison, UWin’s green chemical process is expected to become a part of Taiwan or even international green supply chain. A patent was achieved successfully last year, demonstrating strong commercialization potential. UWin aims to collaborate with more countries and companies to establish production facilities and expand applications.

Larry Ho, Chief Technology Officer, emphasized that UWin Nanotech is dedicated to developing non-toxic process for recycling precious metal and rare earth metal, significantly enhancing operational safety and reducing environmental impact. In the perspectives of resource security and supply chain sustainability, this technology is not only environmentally friendly but also strategically important, helping nations reduce dependence on a single country's resources.

UWin’s UW-170 rare earth stripper has received an invention patent in the Republic of China. Image provided by UWin Nanotech

Kenny Hsu stated that UWin’s innovative technology has the potential to become a crucial solution under amidst global geopolitical shifts and the restructuring of the green supply chain. It can provide safer, more stable, and environmentally friendly alternatives for Taiwan’s and the global high-tech industries, elevating recycling into a national-scale industry.