El presente trabajo analiza el reciclaje de tierras raras (REE) a partir de desechos electrónicos. Los investigadores utilizan tierras raras de elementos como imanes y lámparas para crear catalizadores para reacciones químicas estereoselectivas. Un descubrimiento clave es la transformación del óxido de itrio de los desechos electrónicos en un catalizador eficiente utilizando ácido tríflico. El proceso promueve las reacciones orgánicas y se puede ampliar utilizando reactores de flujo, lo que mejora la sostenibilidad. Este método innovador ayuda a evitar el costoso reciclaje de tierras raras para los productos electrónicos, reutilizándolos para la producción química de alto valor.
Abstract
Raw mixtures of Rare Earths Elements, REE, recovered byE-waste, were used as catalysts to promote the (stereoselective)synthesis of highly valuable compounds. Y2O3, the major species thatis recovered by the E-waste, can be easily converted into thecatalytically active Y(OTf)3 that is able to efficiently promote theMichael addition of indoles to benzylidene malonates and thestereoselective Diels-Alder cycloaddition between cyclopentadieneand 4-(S)-3 acryloyl 4-tert-butyl 2-oxazolidinone. Additionally, the rawmixtures were immobilized onto silica and used to construct packedreactors, resulting in values for Productivity and Space-Time Yieldsthat were significantly higher than those of the corresponding batchconversions. Notably, the prepared cartridge employed in the modelMichael reaction maintained its catalytic efficiency for more than 4days of continuous running.