Chemistry for Circularity
What is being done today
Uppsala University today hosts a strong and internationally visible research environment in materials science, with “Sustainable materials and material flows” identified as a key strength area within the Faculty of Science and Technology. There is substantial expertise across chemistry, physics, materials science and earth sciences that is highly relevant to recycling technologies, including analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, separations, materials synthesis, and advanced characterization using large-scale research infrastructures such as MAX IV and ESS.
The university conducts extensive research on advanced materials and devices that require recycling, including batteries, permanent magnets, solar cells, hydrogen storage materials and other energy-related systems. There are also ongoing projects focused on design for recyclability, for example the development of fluorine-free or water-soluble materials. However, the actual technical recycling and recovery processes are often addressed through collaborations with external partners, as Uppsala University currently lacks a dedicated academic focal point or principal investigator specializing in recycling technologies.
Several strategic initiatives and collaborative platforms related to circularity are already in place, such as Batteries Sweden, the WISE initiative, COMPEL (battery technology education), and multiple academia–industry competence centres. Within the Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, new and ongoing PhD projects focus on topics such as lithium extraction from waste streams and natural brines using electrochemical methods and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Despite these efforts, recycling technology is not yet coherently integrated as a long-term, faculty-led research and education area.
What is planned for the future
Going forward, Uppsala University plans a strategic build-up of competence in recycling technologies to enable truly circular material flows. A central focus will be on hydrometallurgy, complemented by emerging approaches such as direct recycling, biorefinery-based methods and electrochemical recovery processes. Recycling is identified as the currently missing link in the materials value chain and a key prerequisite for achieving genuine circularity in materials research.
At the core of the initiative is the planned recruitment of a new position (on Assistant Professor level) with a strong background in recycling technology. This recruitment will be supported by a start-up package including PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, creating a sufficiently critical research environment. The new group will focus on sustainable, high-yield recovery of strategic and critical materials from waste streams, such as spent batteries, electronic waste, magnets and polymers.
The new research group will be highly interdisciplinary and will operate in close collaboration with existing research groups within chemistry, materials science, physics, earth sciences and industrial engineering, both at Uppsala University and nationally (e.g. Chalmers, KTH and LTU). This person will also contribute to teaching (approximately 20%), doctoral supervision and curriculum development, ensuring that recycling and circularity perspectives are integrated into education in chemistry and materials science.
In the longer term, the initiative aims to:
- strengthen Uppsala University’s position in internationally competitive recycling research,
- attract external funding from national agencies and EU programmes,
- enable better design of materials and systems with recycling in mind,
- and contribute to European resilience and self-sufficiency in critical raw materials essential for the green transition.