Critical Materials Recycling has been engaged in a multi-phase STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) project in cooperation with Denis Prodius and Ikenna Nlebedim of the Critical Materials Institute (the developers of the Acid-Free Dissolution Recycling (ADR) process) as a proof-of-concept for commercially viable and environment-friendly approaches for reclaiming rare earth elements (REEs) and cobalt from magnets in different types of electronic wastes generated in the U.S.  Critical Materials Recycling’s goal is to use the ADR process to recover critical material REEs as a sustainable renewable REE source and to reinsert these REEs back into the supply chain as oxides, metals and alloys.

It is the only technology that selectively and efficiently recovers critical minerals from dilute electronic waste streams, without limiting further recycling of the other components of the electronic wastes. It also does not require pre-concentration of the magnets in the e-wastes prior to recycling.

Critical Materials Recycling’s collaborative team has successfully applied this process to hard disk drive (HDD) shreds, Neodymium/Iron/Boron magnets and to Samarium/Cobalt magnets (both swarf and slag).

The team has successfully recovered Neodymium, Praseodymium, Samarium, Terbium, Dysprosium, and Cobalt.