INTECUS was a member of a research team in the ReStra project, the results of which have now been published. The ReStra project investigates recycling and substitution potentials of selected metals. Target metals were selected on the basis of criticality analyses (rare earths, palladium, gallium, germanium, indium, gold, rhodium, platinum) and their use in products was investigated and quantified (industrial catalysts, automotive catalysts, metallurgy/alloys (mixed metal), batteries, laser applications, wind energy, automobiles, medical devices, fuel cells, optical fiber applications , photovoltaics, LEDs, household applications, pedelec, e-bike, room air conditioners, display panels, hub dynamo, ceramics, absorber material and control rods in nuclear reactors, high temperature superconductors, data centers). Optimization potentials were identified and quantified by analyzing existing disposal chains for the selected end-of-life products as well as obstacles to improving closed-loop recycling and any existing path dependencies. Based on the analyses, recommendations were developed for optimizing the circulation of the applications studied at the technical, political and legal levels. In addition to the old-product-related approaches, higher-level approaches are also presented.
