CMI researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight
Innovation
Development of an energy-efficient and cost-effective membrane solvent extraction (MSX) technology for recovering high-purity rare earth elements (REEs) from a wide range of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) magnets.
Achievement
Selective separation of REEs from non-REEs, with recovery rates >90% and a purity >99.5 wt.%, achieved using MSX technology. This was demonstrated using two different types of end-of-life EV magnets, each with varying HREE compositions.
Significance and Impact
- MSX technology provides a pathway to recover high-purity light and heavy REEs from end-of-life EV magnets to support domestic supply of critical elements.
- Next quarter, plans are set to demonstrate the separation of heavy and light REEs with high efficiency using the MSX system.
Hub Target Addressed
Recovery of critical materials from unconventional sources.