Rare Earth Element Extraction and Recycling

The large majority of rare earth metals used in the United States are imported from China. The Rare Earth Element Extraction and Recycling process employs green chemistry that will enable domestic, cost- effective rare earth recycling to significantly reduce strategic risks and price fluctuations associated with the import of these commodities. A stable, domestic supply of rare earth elements from manufacturing wastes and recycled magnets is available to enable and encourage primary production of magnets and other finished materials in the U.S. Rare Earth Element Extraction and Recycling utilizes a novel, recyclable aqueous ammonia/ammonium carbonate solution to recover a suite of rare earth metals including neodymium as well as cobalt and iron- rich byproducts. The target feed for the technology is magnet manufacturing waste and recycled magnet material that does not meet specifications for direct recycling due to fine particle size and oxidation that results from grinding and machining during magnet manufacturing. Rare Earth Element Extraction and Recycling generates mixed rare earth oxides to serve as high-quality feedstock to support manufacture of new high-performance magnets and other items of strategic importance. Additionally, some potential exists to at least partially separate individual rare earths by exploiting differences in their regions of solubility, thus reducing downstream solvent extraction requirements. The process would drastically reduce the large expenditures for reagents and waste disposal required by alternate acid-consuming aqueous processing technologies. Laboratory experiments, modeling, and economic analysis will be conducted during the Phase I effort. The work will be centered on identifying extraction conditions and process intensification using parameters such as temperature, pressure, agitation, particle size reduction, and multiple extraction steps to boost the rate of dissolution and the extent of solubility of rare earth elements in ammonia/ammonium carbonate solutions. As laboratory data is obtained, process flow sheets will be established using assumptions as required to enable economic evaluations to be performed. This approach will facilitate rapid flow sheet refinement while addressing areas of greatest technical and economic uncertainties. The Rare Earth Element Extraction and Recycling program will help to advance domestic rare earth manufacturing technologies, provide economic benefits via new business development, create new high- technology jobs, and boost U.S. security interests. The project provides a key piece of technology that can become part of a domestic critical materials supply chain and can therefore facilitate the integration of raw materials processing, refining, and product manufacturing. Securing a domestic supply of rare earth elements from manufacturing waste, recycled magnets of variable quality, and even potentially extraction of rare earths from domestic ores will substantially reduce strategic risks to the U.S. Government by reducing reliance on foreign providers and by helping to stabilize market price swings that can result from foreign supply interruptions.