Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) doctoral candidate Hye-won Jeong (Graduate School, Department of Resources and Energy Engineering, supervisor Jun-mo An) received the Excellent Paper Presentation Award at the 2026 Korean Society for Resource and Energy Engineering Academic Conference for research proposing a new, eco-friendly method to recover precious metals from waste.

In her presentation titled 'The Effect of MSA-Based DES Composition on the Leaching Mechanism of Alkali-Molten Iridium Scrap,' she reported research on using DES (deep eutectic solvent), an eco-friendly organic solvent, instead of the strong mineral acids traditionally used to extract valuable metals from iridium scrap.

Traditionally, strong acids have been used to dissolve platinum-group metals, but these impose a significant environmental burden. The study drew attention for proposing a new alternative to replace them.

Through the study, she confirmed that the solvent can be applied to the leaching process and elucidated the mechanism by which the metals are dissolved.

In particular, many metals are difficult to obtain domestically due to uneven resource distribution. If this technology is applied to recover metals from waste resources, it is expected to help alleviate problems such as supply instability.

Doctoral candidate Hye-won Jeong said, "This study proposes a new process for recovering metals using a more eco-friendly, organic-acid-based solvent," adding, "We will continue to advance precious metal recovery technology based on these results."