Economically Recovering Rare Earth Materials

This SBIR Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of a novel process whereby rare earth metals can be extracted from industrial and post-consumer waste materials and then readily separated into the individual metals. Conventional procedures for accomplishing this difficult task typically employ numerous steps and generate large quantities of waste. Since the proposed process is based on physical separation (distillation) rather than chemical separation, the problem of poor selectivity that plagues other rare earth separation processes is circumvented. The technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed technology will be investigated according to the following objectives: (1) Optimization of the extraction rate of extraction of metals from magnetic alloys (2) Optimization of the separation of the individual metals from rare earth alloy machining sludge and post-consumer magnets (3) Elaboration of methods for conversion of isolated rare earth compounds into their corresponding oxide and metal forms, and (4) Determination of methods to produce magnetic alloy powders that can be used to fabricate new magnets. Completion of these tasks will remove significant barriers and risks associated with commercialization the proposed technology. It will validate that both extraction and separation and recycling of rare earth elements can be accomplished both facilely and economically.