• Nlebedim, Ikenna C.
• Prodius, Denis
• Mudring, Anja-Verena
• Gandha, Kinjal

Abstract

<p>A straightforward and environment-friendly process for acid-free leaching of rare-earth elements and cobalt, which are critical materials, from waste magnet materials has been developed. The process also allows for selective leaching of rare-earth elements from magnet-containing electronic wastes, such as end-of-life hard disk drives and electric motors. The use of copper salts eliminates the use of volatile toxic acids in the dissolution and separation processes, which allows for a more eco-friendly approach to recovering critical elements and a safer work environment. Recovered critical materials were shown to be suitable for reinsertion into the materials supply chain.</p>

Topics

• copper
• leaching
• cobalt
• selective leaching