Domestic US refiners of Nd-Fe-B 'supermagnets'

[scwiers]

hi,

glad to reconnect with the group after a long break. I'm interested in finding commercial domestic US refiners of scrap supermagnets, who recover Nd. (Apparently, supermagnets can't simply be remelted into new magnets, which instead have to be created out of 'pure' elemental ingredients.)

The authors of the following study have offered some tips about their original research:
http://www.eurekalert.org/features/doe/2001-07/dl-nlf060502.php ,
but Russell and Chumbley aren't aware of anyone pursuing it on a commercial scale.

The only other two domestic firms I've found after extensive googling are:
http://www.greatwesterntech.com/about_us/corp_directory.php and
http://www.americanelements.com/usoper.html . Neither one buys scrap supermagnets for refining. Others?

--sc

 

[DONNZ]

Searched: us rare earth recycling

Not much on the home front as far as buyers. Looks like the USA has the largest deposits but not much in the way of refineries. Canada has it. Up to speed projections on mines 10 to 15 years. Refining?

Some articles in that search stood out.

I would just collect. It might come down to that last minute "Oh crap, we need to do something"

And we have those that wish to protect the environment by recycling. I'm in this camp.


Molycorp and Rare Earth Recycling in GA.

Only notables are Honda and Toyota, full speed ahead. "In a press release, Honda stated that it will pursue recycling of resources by making use of a new process for recycling rare earth metals."

Toyota, the world’s top producer of fuel-saving hybrid vehicles, also stated that it could bring the technology to market if the price of rare earth does not recede.

 

[scwiers]

Yes, I'm told that the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius each contain around 7 lbs each by way of supermagnets, in the drivetrain.

As Donzz mentions, it's not so much a shortage of raw material as it is of current refining capacity in the U.S. and elsewhere. btw/ spot prices of Nd dropped from around $200/lb to under $100 /lb within the past year. One advantage of refining Nd from supermagnets, is that (simple logic tells me--dangerous, I know :evil: ) it's simpler to recover Neodymium from a 'basic' Nd-Fe-B mixture than it is, to recover Nd from the whole plethora of the 20 or so Lanthanides, as they're found in nature.

 

[scwiers]

A P.S. to the last post. There's a link below to an image of somebody who got his finger mangled between 2 supermagnets. Also, another utube posting featuring common fruit being squished into pulp by these babies (I can't find the link right now). The usual warning, just as with everything else: magnets can hurt you.

links:
http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/03/how_to_remove_a_finger_with_tw.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDXYqnb2h4o

 

[DONNZ]

Great videos. I see we don't want to have 100 lbs of these in the trunk of our car and pass over a manhole cover.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rise-fall-rare-earth-metals-150650929.html

The Rise And Fall Of Rare Earth Metals
but these 17 elements aren't rare at all. Some of these metals are among the world's most abundant elements; they're only referred to as "rare" because they're difficult to extract.

Separating these elements from other materials takes a lot of acid and, because Western countries like the United States, Canada and many European nations have pretty strict environmental regulations, it's not only impractical to mine them, but can also be politically unpopular.

If they are free hang on to them. They do sell for a pretty penny.

http://www.amazingmagnets.com/default.aspx