Rare Earth recovery as oxides from spent magnet scrap (EV vehicles, hard disks, Wind turbines, button magnets, Swarf, machining scrap and MRI magnets)

• Recovery of rare earths as oxides from spent magnets
• Process flexibility to various magnet scrap
• Low energy consumption
• Calibrated with industrial grade commercial chemicals

NdFeB magnets are extensively used in electric vehicle traction motors (35%), electronics (40%), wind turbines (10%), and other industrial products (15%). During manufacturing of such magnets and after their usage-cycle, there is substantial generation of swarfs and spent magnets, containing appreciable amount (~30%) of rare earth metals. With intensively growing renewable wind energy and electric vehicle sectors, there is huge upsurge in the demand of rare earth metal(s), predominantly Neodymium, Praseodymium, and its alloys. India currently meets its demand by 100% imports. As per India critical minerals demand report’21 and Critical minerals for India ’23 by Ministry of Mines, India, the Nd-Pr oxide market was estimated at 1100 MT in 2020 and it is forecasted to grow to about 18600 MT by 2030 (6000-12000 MT for EVs, 3000-11000 MT for Wind turbines, and 4000 MT for electronics). To meet the domestic demand, these waste magnets (swarf and end-of-life magnets) are the richest and most competitive secondary resource of Neodymium and Praseodymium. This technology aims for holistic recycling know how from waste magnets to produce mixed rare earth oxides through a combination of pyro-metallurgical, hydrometallurgical and electrometallurgical processing scheme.

Salient Technical Features:

Extraction of rare earth elements from mixed magnet scrap using hyrdro metallurgical and pyro-metallurgical route:

1. Process: Pyro and Hydrometallurgy

2. Raw material flexibility: EV rotors/Wind turbines/Hard disks/ button magnets

3. Raw materials for processing: Indigenous chemicals and commercial grade

4. No Waste generation

5. Product quality: Mixed Rare earth Oxides and Fluorides (>99.5%)

6. By-products: Iron salts, Mixed Ni-Cu-Co sulphide

7. Scale of operation: 10-100 kg batch

1. No waste generation

2. High quality mixed rare earth oxides

3. By-products for other metals

4. Callibrated with low chemicals and reagents

5. All reagents are indigenously produced