Research progress on the recycling method of rhenium waste

Given the scarcity of rhenium resources, recovering rhenium from waste materials represents a strategically viable solution. This review focuses on three novel aspects in the field of rhenium recovery. It integrates pyrometallurgical (KOH-K₂CO₃ molten salt), hydrometallurgical (solvent extraction/ion exchange), and electrochemical (NaOH electrolysis) methods into a unified ‘temperature-medium-electrochemical potential’ framework, proposing oxidative volatilisation with three-zone tube furnace fractionation for W-Mo-Re alloys. The study evaluates AI sorting, task-specific ionic liquids, and microwave-synthesised nano-resins, demonstrating their capacity to boost recovery rates from 40% to 92% for low-grade rhenium (<2 ppm). Additionally, it quantifies carbon footprint reductions through secondary resource recovery, establishing a circularity-clean energy correlation model that redefines strategic metal management. Case studies on Pt-Re catalyst regeneration and aerospace alloy recycling validate co-extraction solutions for multicomponent systems.