New Process Targets Rare Earths in Discarded Computer Hard Drives

New magnet recycling processes could help Europe reduce reliance on imported raw materials

Neodymium magnets are among the world's strongest permanent magnets. Made from neodymium, iron and boron, they are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronic products such as speakers, smartphones and hard drives. Global demand for permanent magnets is rising, with estimated annual growth rates of up to 8.3%. This makes it essential to recycle scarce rare earth elements such as neodymium, although the process is highly complex.

New process targets rare earths in discarded computer hard drives

Discarded computer hard drives could become a source of critical raw materials for electric vehicles, wind turbines and other technologies. Researchers in Germany are testing two processes to recover valuable metals from old magnets, including a method that uses ammonium chloride instead of conventional hydrochloric acid. The work is part of the European Union-funded NEO-CYCLE project, in which researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic…

Fraunhofer IKTS and TU Bergakademie Freiberg develop new routes to recover rare earth materials from discarded magnets

The EU-funded NEO-CYCLE project is testing chlorination and electrochemical methods to upcycle neodymium, boron and iron from hard drives for industrial use IN BRIEFKEY TAKEAWAYSFAQs Researchers at Fraunhofer IKTS and TU Bergakademie Freiberg are developing new recycling processes to recover … Read the full press release →