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Rare Earth Elements Review Section 5 – Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use 2. Technology – Products that are designed with recycling in mind will be easier to disassemble and re-process. 3. Societal – Programs will be more effective when the public is aware of the benefits of recycling and the collection and recycling infrastructure is accessible and well publicized. Recycling can be conducted on either pre-consumer or post-consumer items. While most of the literature identified pertains to post-consumer recycling initiatives, it has been reported that 20 to 30 percent of rare earth magnets are scrapped during the manufacturing process and that research is ongoing to develop ways for recycling this “waste stream” (Schuler et al., 2011). Similar information was not identified for other pre-consumer items, but may prove to be an opportunity in the future for manufacturing processes with high scrap rates. Figure 5-1. REE recycling steps and waste emissions. 5-4
Rare Earth Elements Review Section 5 – Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use 5.2.1 Collection The first step, defined as collection, is discussed in the recent report by UNEP (Schluep et al., 2009) and can be accomplished through a variety of means, but it is generally more efficient when a collection infrastructure is already established. In the past, state regulations have been effective at establishing the collection and recycling infrastructure required to increase recycling rates for consumer goods in the United States. For example, in the 1980s, the recycling of lead-acid car batteries became required by many states and resulted in a 95 percent recycling rate by 1990. The EPA data show that, nationally, 19% of consumer electronics were recycled in 2009 (Bomgardner, 2011). As of May 2011, 25 states have laws requiring e-waste recycling, and 5 additional states have pending laws. In most cases, manufactures are required to cover the costs associated with the collection and recycling. A summary of these state laws and information on collection volumes to date is available on the Internet (Electronic Take Back Coalition, 2011). In further support of electronics recycling, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2011(H.R. 2284) and includes as one of three main focus areas: support for collection, logistics, and supply chain optimization to support REE recycling. The EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling Partners website provides links to take-back programs and drop-off locations for mobile devices, computers, printers, and televisions. The partners include retail stores, equipment manufacturers, and mobile device service providers. Together, they collected and recycled 68 million pounds of used consumer electronics in 2008 (U.S. EPA, 2008b). Collection methods include direct mail of products to locations established by equipment manufactures and drop off of used products at designated locations, such as retail stores or locations specifically setup as part of collection day events. Environmental impacts from the collection step are most predominantly due to transportation/shipping of materials to the collection point and from the point of collection to the location of the processing facility. 5.2.2 Dismantling/Preprocessing Dismantling and preprocessing steps are critical for separating the high-value components from less valuable materials. Frequently, high-value materials such as REEs and other metals, like gold, make up a small percentage of the item being recycled, and separation steps will make it more efficient to recover them. However, even when metals are separated from other nonmetal components, mixed metal scrap is more challenging to recycle than segregated metals. Typical dismantling and preprocessing steps include manual or mechanical separations, manual or mechanical disassembly, mechanical shredding, and screening. The specific details of each step are reported in the literature and are dependent on the item being recycled and the material being recovered (Schluep et al., 2009). Figure 5-2 provides photos of a facility where computer hard disk drives are manually disassembled, and of the resulting separated components, including magnets containing REEs. 5-5
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Rare Earth Elements Review Table of
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Foreword The U.S. Environmental Pro
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Abstract Rare earth elements (REEs)
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Table of Contents List of Acronyms
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Rare Earth Elements Review Appendix
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