D. Prodius
Ames National Laboratory/Critical Materials Innovation Hub,
United States
Keywords: energy-efficient recycling, rare-earths metals, decarbonization
Summary:
This presentation will focus on the recovery of REEs through the acid-free dissolution recycling technology developed at the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub at Ames National Laboratory (USDOE). This process enables selective leaching of REEs from e-waste (e.g., shredded hard disk drives) without the need to pre-separate the magnet contents, facilitating further recycling of other e-waste materials. The acid-free nature of the process offers environmental benefits, as shown by Life Cycle Analysis, and has been demonstrated to be economically viable for deployment in the United States, according to Techno-Economic Analysis. Developed in 2016, the acid-free dissolution recycling technology has matured and is now licensed commercially [1]. This presentation will highlight recent advancements and future technology directions, emphasizing the criticality of rare earth elements for decarbonized manufacturing. [1] U.S. Department of Energy, Acid Free Dissolution Recycling: A Second Chance for Rare Earth Elements (March 13, 2023), https://www.energy.gov/eere/ammto/articles/acid-free-dissolution-recycling-second-chance-rare-earth-elements (accessed online on 01-16-2025).