Strengthens EU–Cuba Collaboration on Rare Earth Recycling
FREECOVER continues to promote international knowledge exchange through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchanges programme with a new secondment hosted at the University of Udine (UNIUD), Italy.
Yenisleidy Valdés, researcher from the University of Havana (UH), Cuba, is currently undertaking a research secondment contributing to Work Packages 2 and 3, focused on sustainable technologies for the recovery and separation of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from permanent magnets.
Her activities in Udine include:
optimisation of permanent magnet leaching processes
separation of rare earth metals
testing supported ionic liquid membranes
evaluation of natural zeolite-based adsorbents
By combining advanced separation techniques with eco-friendly materials, the secondment supports FREECOVER’s mission to develop low-impact hydrometallurgical solutions for critical raw material recycling.
This exchange highlights the strong collaboration between Europe and Latin America within FREECOVER, enabling hands-on knowledge transfer, shared expertise, and capacity building across institutions.
Secondments remain at the core of the MSCA Staff Exchanges programme, accelerating innovation through direct laboratory collaboration and international partnerships.
FREECOVER looks forward to sharing further outcomes from this productive exchange in the upcoming newsletter.
