KIST develops eco-friendly palladium recovery technology to safeguard resource security

Palladium (Pd) is widely used in various industries and everyday products, including smartphones, semiconductor manufacturing processes, and hydrogen fuel cells. Palladium is an essential metal that acts as an excellent catalyst even in minute quantities, reducing pollutants and enhancing energy efficiency. However, palladium production is concentrated in a few countries, leading to unstable supply. While South Korea generates significant amounts of spent catalysts and electronic waste annually, a lack of eco-friendly and efficient recovery technologies means much is discarded or relies on foreign technology.

A research team led by Dr. Jae-Woo Choi from the Water Resources Recycling Research Group and Dr. Jin Young Kim from the Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Sangrok Oh) has developed an eco-friendly palladium recovery technology based on titanium-based maxene material ('TiOx/Ti3C2Tx') nanosheets. Existing overseas technologies operated only in strongly acidic environments, limiting their applicability to weakly acidic wastewater commonly found in industrial settings.

This technology features the high-density arrangement of 'TiOx nanoclusters' with unsaturated oxygen on the surface of nanomaterials. It enables the recovery of 99.9% high-purity palladium within 30 minutes, even in weakly acidic environments where recovery is difficult using conventional methods. It requires no toxic chemicals or power supply, and the recovered palladium naturally reduces to its metallic state, allowing separation through simple filtration. This means it can significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions compared to existing strong acid processes.

Furthermore, this material exhibits world-leading adsorption performance at 1,983 mg/g and maintains approximately 90% efficiency even after more than 10 cycles of reuse, confirming its stability and reusability. The recovered palladium-nanosheet composite can be recycled back into a hydrogen evolution catalyst, making it suitable for implementing a complete precious metal recycling system.

This technology operates at room temperature and does not require high-temperature processing or strong acidic chemicals, so it is expected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% or more compared to existing processes. It also has low cost burdens due to no electricity usage and high industrial value as it can be reused repeatedly.

Its broad range of applications is also considered a major advantage. It is suitable not only as a catalyst for use in various industries such as refining, petrochemicals, automotive, and hydrogen fuel cells, but also for recovering palladium contained in electronic waste like smartphones and circuit boards.

KIST researchers anticipate further refining this technology to enable real-time treatment of palladium-containing wastewater generated in industrial settings. They aim to establish a circular resource ecosystem where recovered palladium is reintroduced as a catalyst and electronic material. Additionally, through technology transfer and commercialization, they plan to advance the self-sufficiency of domestic precious metal recovery technology. Future expansion plans include developing recovery technologies for other precious metals such as platinum, gold, and silver.

Dr. Jae-Woo Choi of KIST stated, "This research represents a technological turning point that can contribute to the self-sufficiency of Korea's resource circulation system and reduce dependence on precious metal imports by enabling the easy recovery of precious metals previously discarded in spent catalysts or electronic waste." He added, "We plan to enhance commercialization potential by developing a modular recovery system in the future." Dr. Jin Young Kim of KIST, who collaborated on the research, explained, "We confirmed that the recovered palladium can be applied not merely as recycled material, but as an electrochemical electrode catalyst material for producing high-efficiency hydrogen." He added, "We verified the potential for it to be utilized not as a 'discarded metal,' but as a circular resource supporting clean energy production.“

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KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://www.kist.re.kr/eng/index.do

This research was conducted as part of KIST's Institutional Program and the Solar Panel Recycling Technology Development Project (RS-2025-02223005), supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) and the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment (Minister Kim Sung-hwan). The research findings were published in the latest issue of the international academic journal Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19, JCR (%): 4.5%).