Value recovery pathways for rare earth elements and Nd-Fe-B magnets from end-of-life products

Abstract

With the advent of a clean energy economy, our society is moving away from a fuel-intensive energy system to a material-intensive system that relies heavily on critical materials such as rare earth elements (REEs), according to the international energy agency. However, REE production is currently dominated by a few countries leaving the rest of the world vulnerable to supply risks which hinder clean energy technology development and national security. To mitigate the risks researchers are exploring circular economy (CE) strategies to recover value from end-of-life products that contain REEs. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are identified as a promising feedstock for such CE strategies along with other opportunities from consumer electronics (e.g., smartphones), household appliances (e.g., washers and dryers), medical equipment (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners) and electric vehicles (EVs). The value recovery pathways include product reuse, Nd-Fe-B magnet reuse, magnet assembly reuse, magnet remanufacturing and REE recovery. In this chapter, new technologies that support these value recovery pathways are reviewed, focusing on the recent advancements, challenges and opportunities. The economic, environmental and supply chain implications of adopting these technologies are also evaluated for economic and environmental sustainability. Future research is suggested to prioritize reuse strategies over recycling and integrate the novel value recovery processes into the established supply chain to close the material loop.