ORNL Recycling Technology Recovers Critical Rare Earths From Scrap Magnets
Oak Ridge National Laboratory's membrane-based separation technology is designed to recover high-purity rare earth elements from discarded permanent magnets, offering another potential source of critical materials for U.S. manufacturing.
MONTREAL (RecyclingMonster): A recycling technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) could help recover critical rare earth elements from discarded permanent magnets as the United States works to diversify supplies of materials used in electronics, electric motors, defense systems and advanced manufacturing.
ORNL researchers Syed Islam, Ramesh Bhave and colleagues have developed and scaled a membrane solvent extraction (MSX) process capable of separating rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium from scrap permanent magnets.
The technology has moved beyond laboratory research. ORNL records show the rare-earth separation process has been licensed to Momentum Technologies and Caldara LLC for commercial applications.
China Still Dominates Rare-Earth Processing and Magnet Production
The technology comes as rare-earth supply chains remain highly concentrated.
According to the International Energy Agency, China accounted for approximately 60% of global mined production of magnet rare earths in 2024, 91% of refined output and 94% of sintered permanent-magnet production.
Rare-earth permanent magnets are used across electric vehicles, wind turbines, industrial motors, hard disk drives, robotics, medical equipment, data centers and defense applications.
How ORNL's Membrane Solvent Extraction Process Works
The MSX process begins after rare-earth-bearing permanent magnets are prepared and dissolved into a liquid feed solution.
That solution passes through modules containing bundles of microscopic hollow-fiber membranes. An extractant held within the membrane pores selectively binds targeted rare-earth ions and transfers them into a separate solution while unwanted materials remain behind.
The recovered rare earths can then be processed into high-purity rare-earth oxides for potential reuse in manufacturing.
ORNL researchers say the approach combines separation into a compact, continuous system rather than relying on the larger equipment and multiple processing steps associated with conventional solvent-extraction systems.
Technology Has Already Been Scaled Beyond Early Laboratory Tests
ORNL's earlier scale-up work demonstrated recovery of rare-earth oxides from scrap permanent magnets at greater than 99.5% purity and greater than 95% yield under tested conditions.
The researchers scaled membrane modules from bench-scale equipment to systems capable of processing up to approximately one ton of scrap permanent magnets per month.
The Most Important Breakthrough May Be Separating Dysprosium From the Magnet Mix
The takeaway: Recovering rare earths from an old magnet is only part of the challenge. Separating chemically similar elements into high-purity individual materials is a critical step if those recovered resources are going to return to advanced manufacturing.
A 2026 test produced 99.6% pure dysprosiumORNL researchers reported another advance this year using the MSX process on electric-vehicle magnet scrap. In testing with EV swarf magnets, the process produced dysprosium at 99.6% purity with an approximately 82.6% cumulative yield.
Dysprosium is especially important because relatively small additions can help neodymium-based magnets retain performance at high temperatures, making it valuable in demanding motor and other high-performance applications.
Recycling addresses the part of the supply chain that is hardest to diversifyThe IEA estimates that existing and announced projects outside the dominant supplier could satisfy only about 25% of projected non-China rare-earth refining demand and well below 20% of magnet demand by 2035.
That is why technologies capable of extracting usable rare earths from existing products matter alongside new mines. Recycling will not replace primary production, but it can create an additional domestic feedstock from magnets already present in hard drives, electric motors, electronics and other equipment.
The opportunity gets larger as more magnets reach end of lifeThe IEA says recycling could reduce the need for primary rare-earth supply by as much as 35% by 2050 as larger volumes of magnets from electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics reach retirement.
That connects ORNL's separation technology directly with commercial projects already developing in the U.S. RecyclingMonster recently reported that HyProMag USA is advancing a Texas hub intended to integrate rare-earth magnet recycling and manufacturing.
MSX Could Also Be Applied to Mining Waste
ORNL researchers have also studied membrane-based separation for rare earths contained in low-concentration mining tailings, potentially expanding the technology beyond electronic waste and scrap magnets.
The technology therefore represents one possible route for recovering critical materials from both secondary waste streams and unconventional domestic resources.
Commercial deployment at meaningful scale will ultimately depend on economics, feedstock availability, collection systems, processing capacity and customer demand for recovered rare-earth products.
Rare-Earth Magnet Recycling: What to Know
What rare earths can ORNL's MSX process recover?
ORNL research has demonstrated recovery and separation of rare earths including neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium from scrap permanent magnets.
What is membrane solvent extraction?
Membrane solvent extraction uses hollow-fiber membranes and chemical extractants to selectively move targeted metal ions from one liquid solution into another for separation and purification.
Has the ORNL technology been commercialized?
The rare-earth separation technology has been licensed to commercial partners including Momentum Technologies and Caldara LLC. Commercial scale-up remains separate from laboratory and pilot validation.
Where are rare-earth permanent magnets used?
Applications include electric vehicles, wind turbines, industrial motors, hard drives, electronics, robotics, medical equipment, data centers and defense systems.
Can rare-earth recycling replace mining?
No. Recycling is expected to supplement rather than replace primary production, but it can reduce demand for newly mined material and diversify supply sources.
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Courtesy: www.oakridger.com