In a statement, Salzgitter and Umicore’s Metal Deposition Solutions business unit said the process allows iridium to be recovered from a specialty coating used on MMO anodes. The companies said the coating must be renewed regularly, and up until now, coating residues could not be recycled cost efficiently before recoating.

"Recycling iridium is very demanding and difficult. At present, there are only a few providers on the market who specialize in this complex process. Thanks to our many years of expertise in the field of precious metal recycling, we were able to act as an intermediary. By conducting joint trials and developing internal processes, we ultimately succeeded in integrating the process into everyday operations at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH," said Frank Friebel, Umicore’s head of electrocatalytic electrodes.