This presentation will describe opportunities for enhancing recovery and recycling efficiencies to enhance the supply chain for critical materials (CM) for clean energy together with the technology-development program being undertaken within the newly funded Critical Materials Institute (CMI) in the US. Defining its critical supply needs in terms of clean-energy technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient lighting, the US Department of Energy identified five rare earth elements (REE) as critical materials and several other elements, such as lithium, as near-critical. The efficient recovery, reuse and recycling focus area within CMI conducts research directed at enhancing recovery reuse and recycling while reducing bottlenecks in the supply chain from recycled material processing. To enhance recycling CM, projects seek to improve REE recovery and �beneficiation� using electrochemical, molten salt, and bioleaching processes for recovering REE from phosphors, magnets, and other sources. Enhanced separation technologies are being developed to separate highly dilute lanthanides using membrane assisted solvent extraction, and super critical fluids are beijng used to dissolve and separate REE from waste streams. A modeling effort seeks to locate and assist with magnet recovery from diverse items such as computer disc drives and refrigeration units in an entirely automated system. Industrial collaborations are key components from the outset of planning to ensure a positive outcome in terms of commercialized technologies that have real impact on the supply of CM for clean energy. This work is supported by the Critical Materials Institute, an Energy Innovation Hub funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office. This submission has been authored by a contractor of the U. S. Government under contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517.  Accordingly, the U. S. Government retains a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so, for the U. S. Government purposes.

Enhancing the recovery and recycling efficiency of critical materials for clean energy

248th National Meeting (2014)

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