Abstract
Rare earth elements (REE) are regarded today as highly critical raw materials but currently lack suitable recycling processes. A combined hydro- and pyrometallurgical process aimed at REE recovery from used NdFeB permanent magnets was recently developed by the CEA. The process integrates the physico-chemical treatment of magnets , followed by a solvent extraction step for the recovery and intra-REE separation using a selective extractant. A subsequent pyrometallurgical treatment via molten chloride salt electrolysis allowed the isolation of pure Dy metal. Technical-economic assessment and life-cycle analysis were also conducted. Following this first successful demonstration, a new project aimed at the recovery of REE from end-of-life nickel -metal-hydride batteries is currently being developed in association with industrial and academic partners. The project aims at evaluating from an experimental and economic perspective different processes converging at the production of value-added products such as cermet materials for catalytic applications, purified REO concentrates, or metallic alloys.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to warmly thank Dr. V. Pacary and Dr. M. Montuir for the flowsheet simulations, Mrs. M.-T. Duchesne and Dr. V. Haquin for the solvent extraction experiments. This work was partially supported by the ANR REPUTER project, grant ANR-15-CE08-0017-01 of the French National Research Agency.
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Blet, V., Andreiadis, E., Serp, J., Miguirditchian, M. (2018). Innovative Coupled Hydrometallurgical and Pyrochemical Processes for Rare Earth Recycling. In: Davis, B., et al. Extraction 2018. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95022-8_223
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95022-8_223
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