Chinese plant extracts critical rare metals from lithium waste in world first

China has established the world's first production line capable of extracting rubidium and caesium from lithium waste. This 500-tonne annual capacity demonstration line, located in Jiangxi province, utilizes continuous tower extraction and separation technology for low-grade materials. The Institute of Process Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced that stable production has been achieved. These extracted rare metals, rubidium and caesium, are essential for critical industries including aerospace, quantum computing, biomedicine, and new energy.