Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University have developed a new method to extract rare earth elements like lanthanum from mine waste, addressing environmental issues while fueling the electronics industry.

This breakthrough technology addresses a critical gap in current remediation methods and offers a cost-effective solution for industrial wastewater treatment.

The market, valued at $600 billion in 2022 and projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030, has seen the U.S. share drop from 37% in 1990 to 12% today, increasing reliance on Asia, which produces 75% of the world’s semiconductors.