Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Production, Processing ...

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Rare Earth Elements Review Section 5 – Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use Engineering discovered how to recover significant quantities of REOs present in titanium dioxide mineral. While the original benefits of this technology were thought to be that it could improve purity, eliminate hazardous wastes, and cut costs and CO2 emissions, the team also discovered that they could extract significant quantities of REM oxides as co-products of the refining process. Current recovery rates of oxides of neodymium, cerium, and lanthanum vary between 60 percent and 80 percent and are thought to be able to be increased in the future (University of Leeds, 2009). 5.3 Commercial REE-Recycling Applications Review of the literature indicates that the number of commercial REE-recycling operations is limited, but that is likely to change in the near future due to the number of operations under development and the amount of research that is ongoing. Table 5-1 provides a summary of commercial, or soon-to-becommercial, operations by selected companies and includes the information that is known on the target item to be recycled, the materials being recovered, the technology to be used, the anticipated time frame until commercial application; notes with respect to cost or environmental benefits; and the source of information. Consistent with the information reported here, the literature indicates that the focus of REErecycling research and commercialization efforts has been on magnets, batteries, lighting and luminescence, and catalysts (Schuler et al., 2011). It should be noted that in many cases, the companies that are in the process of developing or deploying recycling technologies have not published reports or papers with the details of their individual processes, as these are generally a competitive advantage and considered proprietary. Company Table 5-1. Recycling Operations, Technologies Utilized, Current Status, and Benefits Target Feedstock/ Element Hitachi Rare earth magnets from air conditioner compressors and hard disk drives Toyota Hybrid car batteries Technology to Be Used Automated separation process and dry extraction process Anticipated Time to Commercialization Anticipates recycling will meet 10% of its need by 2013 when facility goes online Benefits (Cost and Environmental) Source Dry extraction method that allows processing without acids; resulting waste water problem. Automated separation process is faster than manual. Cost savings anticipated. Unknown Ongoing Main driver is supply concerns http://www.hitachi. com/New/cnews/1 01206.pdf http://shanghaiscr ap.com/?p=5654 Japan’s Air conditioners Plans to 2011 No information http://www.matter Shin-Etsu recycle readily available. network.com/2011 Chemical recovered /3/new-push REEs into recycle-rare magnets earth.cfm Showa Dysprosium and No Estimated output of No information http://www.bloomb Denko KK didymium (a information 800 tons from readily available. erg.com/news/201 mixture of readily recycling facility 0-12-08/hitachi praseodymium available. recycles-rare and earth-as-china neodymium) crimpssupply.html 5-8
Rare Earth Elements Review Section 5 – Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use Company Target Feedstock/ Element Technology to Be Used Anticipated Time to Commercialization Benefits (Cost and Environmental) Source Mitsubishi Neodymium and No Currently in research No information http://www.bloomb (with dysposium, information stage. Anticipated readily available. erg.com/news/201 Panasonic washing readily production stage by 0-12-08/hitachi and Sharp) machines and air conditioners available. 2014 recycles-rareearth-as-chinacrimpssupply.html Kosaka, Existing Smelter—300 Research being Factory is making http://www.nytime Dowa electronics tons of conducted to develop money. Process for s.com/2010/10/05/ Holdings recycling material per technologies for REE neodymium business/global/0 plant—future day are recovery extraction is 5recycle.html?em processing of processed, estimated to be c=eta1 neodymium. resulting in 150 grams of rare metals costly. Raptor Mine tailings “Advanced 2,000 tons of ore per Cost savings; http://www.raptort Technology Group (from hardrock ore deposits from Washoe mine). chromatography and innovative separation technologies” year, currently. New facility being built with capacity of over 10,000 tons of ore per year. reclaimed mine wastes; chemical recycling and water savings. echnologygroup.c om/general.php_c ategory=Raptor+T echnologies=meta l.php Creative Electronics “Closed loop” By end of 2011, No information http://www.sustain Recycling process. estimated to have readily available. ablebusiness.com Systems/ GreenRock Rare Earth Details not available four processing facilities with a capacity to process /index.cfm/go/new s.display/id/21900 Recovery 500 million pounds of Corporation electronics per year. Wings Tailings from No Within 12 months. No information http://www.rareme Enterprises previous mining information readily available. talblog.com/2011/ Inc. at Pea Ridge, readily 01/rare-earths Missouri available. producermolycorp-rivalsseek-us-aid-aschina-chopsexports.html Umicore and Rhodia Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries Umicore’s proprietary Ultra High Temperature (UHT) battery recycling process in combination with Rhodia’s rare earth refining processes First production expected by end of 2011. This is the first known http://www.eurone technology for xt.com/fic/000/064 recycling rare earths /994/649944.pdf from NiMH batteries. “A typical NiMH battery will contain some 7% of rare earth elements including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium. This equates to 1 gram of rare earth for a AAA battery, 60 gram for a household power tool and 2 kilograms for a hybrid electric vehicle battery.” 5-9
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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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List of Tables 2-1. Abundance of El
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Rare Earth Elements Review List of
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Rare Earth Elements Review Appendix
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Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Production, Processing ...

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