Rare earth metals are the key ingredient in modern technology, powering many devices like smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy tech. As the name suggests, they are a rare resource that requires a lot of energy to extract and refine. The scarcity of rare earth metals and environmental impact of the mining process poses an increasingly urgent question – can rare earth metals be recycled?
What are Rare Earth Metals?
Rare earth metals are a group of seventeen metallic elements that have uncommon fluorescent, conductive, and magnetic properties. They play a crucial role in the development of new technologies for their use in the production of high-performance magnets, catalysts, and electronic components. Neodymium and Dysprosium can be used in temperature resistant magnets for electric vehicle propulsion systems. Yttrium and Europium are implemented in color television screens and LED lights, while Lanthanum and Cerium are employed in certain types of batteries and catalysts.
Although rare earth metals are difficult to access, they are fairly abundant in the Earth’s crust. The problem is these elements are often dispersed instead of found in concentrated deposits, making them more difficult and expensive to extract than common metals. The complex geological processes that lead to their formation also make them a more limited resource.
Challenges in Recycling
One barrier to rare earth metal recycling is due to the complexity of the products they are used in. Rare earth elements become combined with other materials in the creation of devices like hard drives or smartphones, making efficient extraction challenging. Although each rare earth metal has distinct magnetic characteristics, their chemical properties are very similar – making chemical methods used to physically separate them extremely difficult.
Mining for new material is often cheaper than recycling rare earth metals. Large scale mining companies can achieve lower production costs than a small-scale recycling facility. The lack of standardization and initial investment in developing recycling infrastructure is also a cost barrier. Despite these challenges, recycling is a worthwhile endeavor. Advancements in technology and consumer and industry preferences are proving that rare earth metal recycling will soon be a viable economic and environmental solution.
METech and RareTerra
METech has recently partnered with RareTerra, a startup founded by Nathan Good and N. Cecilia Martinez-Gomez. RareTerra is developing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly bio-platform for selective extraction, separation, and purification of rare earth metals from complex and waste sources.
Their process could eliminate the most hazardous parts of rare earth metal production, reducing manufacturing costs and environmental impact. By using microbes to separate these metals from other materials, they bioaccumulate the valuable rare earth metals which can then be harvested for reuse. METech is working closely with RareTerra in support of their research, we are currently testing the efficacy of microbes on common e-waste such as hard drives. Our goal is to provide industry knowledge and to support their research, so that in the future their technology can be used to facilitate widespread sustainable, cost-effective rare earth metal recycling.
About METech
With over 55 years in the business, METech has been at the forefront of advancement in recycling technology. We’re a trusted partner across facilities, IT, data centers, medical, electric vehicle, and solar industries. Get in touch with our team by sending us a message or give us a call at 1-866-479-4920 to discuss how METech can tailor a plan to your company’s needs.