Scandium extraction from Malaysian industrial waste: Challenges and opportunities for a sustainable energy future

Abstract

The power generation sector in Malaysia is under considerable pressure to achieve the nation's commitment to carbon neutrality, primarily due to its substantial dependence on coal. To address these issues, Malaysia has prioritised the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE) sources for electricity generation. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising renewable technology under consideration by the government to address consumer energy demand in Malaysia. The element Scandium (Sc) is primarily utilized in the third generation of SOFC, which consequently increases the demand for scandium oxide in the global market. The increased demand coupled with restricted supply, leading to higher prices of scandium oxide, could significantly impact Malaysia's renewable energy policy regarding the implementation of SOFC in its energy sector. The review examines methods for extracting scandium from a potential industrial waste in Malaysia. To effectively explore the potential and sustainability of SOFC energy in Malaysia, the government must focus on three key parameters: resource mapping and policy reform, lab-to-pilot scale technology development (TRL3–6), industry-government R&D partnerships and commercialization, full integration into the circular economy through sustainable scandium recovery from residues, strengthening environmental and social governance and enhancing ASEAN level cooperation to support regional critical mineral resilience. A framework addressing these six parameters is proposed to facilitate the integration of potential scandium sources from industrial waste into Malaysia's energy system.