Traces in scrap

Last year Empa's inorganic analytics lab was granted the status of "Reference Laboratory" within the scope of the ProSUM project, funded by the EU. Fine-grained samples of shredder waste from scrapped cars, e-waste or mine dumps from all over Europe end up here. Empa chemists find out what is in them, what is worth extracting and what could be dangerous for staff at recycling plants. Goggles on - and don't touch anything," says Renato Figi, head of Empa's inorganic analytics lab. As soon as we step into his lab, we realize that this somewhat unusual greeting makes perfect sense: There are beakers of green, yellow and tangerine-colored solutions standing in the fume hood. The tangerine beaker is covered with a watch glass, which Figi, wearing protective gloves, removes and carefully rinses with distilled water. "The beaker contains aqua regia, a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and nitric acid." One drop on your shirt and you can kiss it goodbye; if it splashes in your eye, it's an immediate trip to the hospital for you.