Thursday, September 3, 2026
4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Critical Mineral Separation and Recovery: From Concept to Commercialization
Abstract: Rare earth elements (REEs), particularly neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), and dysprosium (Dy), are critical components of permanent magnets used in hybrid and electric vehicles, wind turbines, a wide range of electronic devices, and defense systems. Rapidly increasing demand and growing supply risks have intensified the need for efficient and sustainable REE recovery technologies. To address this challenge, we have developed an energy-efficient and cost-effective membrane solvent extraction (MSX) process using a neutral extractant for the recovery of REEs from end-of-life permanent magnet scraps.
The MSX process achieved >95% REE recovery with >99.5 wt.% purity across a wide range of scrap magnet feedstocks including electric vehicle motors. High-purity REE recovery was also demonstrated from mining tailings containing low REE concentrations, and individual REEs were successfully separated from mixed REE streams derived from both scrap magnets and mining tailings. Beyond REEs, MSX developed based on a different coordination chemistry showed high performance in recovering critical battery materials—including lithium, cobalt, and nickel—from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. In addition, a novel MSX-based process was developed for the recovery and separation of gallium and germanium from mining tailings.
Overall, these results demonstrate that MSX is an economically viable and environmentally friendly platform technology for the recovery and separation of critical minerals from diverse primary and secondary feedstocks.
