Rare Earths Recovery from Ewaste
21 hours ago
- #rare earth elements
- #sustainable materials
- #recycling technology
- Discarded electronics are a rich source of rare earth elements (REEs).
- Researchers developed a new method to separate REEs from waste magnets using flash joule heating and chlorine gas.
- The process is energy-efficient, less polluting, and faster than current methods.
- Flash joule heating rapidly heats waste magnets to thousands of degrees Celsius.
- Chlorine gas reacts with non-REEs, keeping them in vapor phase for easier separation.
- The method could help the U.S. meet its growing demand for REEs by recycling waste.
- The research builds on previous work using flash joule heating to convert carbon sources into graphene.