Conventional metal recovery technologies do not adequately recover critical metals from effluents containing hydrophilic organic solvents. Researchers investigated dithiocarbamate-functionalized cellulose DPE6 to assess how organic solvents affect its metal sorption capability and to develop a separation and recovery technology applicable to actual effluents. The results show highly efficient critical metal recovery and are expected to contribute to the effective use of finite metal resources and the realization of a sustainable society. The research is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.