Highlights
- Rice University researchers develop a revolutionary one-step process to extract rare earth elements from waste magnets.
- The process uses ultra-high-temperature flash Joule heating and chlorination.
- New method cuts energy use by 87%.
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 84%.
- Eliminates water and acid usage compared to conventional recycling techniques.
- Potential to transform rare earth element recycling economics.
- Simplifies magnet waste processing from multiple steps to a single thermal-reactive step.
Lead author Shichen Xu (Department of Chemistry, Rice University), with senior author James M. Tour, reports a preprint in ChemRxiv (Sept. 2025) introducing flash Joule heating combined with chlorination (FJH-Cl₂) to separate and recover rare earth elements (REEs) from SmCo and NdFeB waste magnets.
Study at a Glance
Xu et al. at Rice University (Departments of Chemistry, Materials Science & NanoEngineering, and Civil & Environmental Engineering) report a ChemRxiv preprint (opens in a new tab) (not peer-reviewed) proposing that brief, ultra-high-temperature flash Joule heating combined with chlorine can leverage Gibbs free-energy and boiling-point differences to volatilize transition-metal chlorides while retaining rare-earth oxychlorides—enabling rapid, selective separation of REEs from magnet waste.
Key Findings
- Single-step separation: >90% purity and >90% yield for Sm (SmCo) and ≥94% purity with >93% REE recovery for Nd/Pr/Ce residues (NdFeB).
- Process intensity: Seconds-long reaction at ~1,180–1,910 °C using a commercial arc welder; temperature tightly tunable.
- LCA/TEA (Sm case): vs. conventional hydrometallurgy, FJH-Cl₂ cuts energy ~87%, GHG ~84%, opex ~54% (up to 69% when remote mining logistics included), and eliminates water and acid use.
- By-products: CoCl₂ and FeCl₃ streams offer potential value for batteries and water treatment.
Why It Matters for the REE Supply Chain
If validated at scale, FJH-Cl₂ could shrink magnet-recycling flowsheets from dozens of unit ops to one thermal-reactive step, lowering capex/opex and domesticating a critical part of REE supply. Faster, cleaner magnet waste valorization would buffer Nd/Pr/Sm availability, diversify away from single-country refining chokepoints, and create circular feedstock for permanent-magnet manufacturers serving EVs, wind, and defense.
Limitations & What to Watch
- Preprint status: Findings are not yet peer-reviewed; external replication is essential.
- Feedstock breadth: Demonstrated on SmCo and NdFeB lab powders; performance across mixed, coated, or oxidized scrap streams (incl. heavy REE-bearing alloys, Dy/Tb) remains to be tested.
- Scale-up engineering: Thermal uniformity, chlorine handling/recovery, off-gas treatment, and materials compatibility at industrial throughputs must be proven.
- Economics: TEA/LCA rely on Class-4 estimates with ±30% Monte-Carlo bounds; site-specific energy pricing, chlorine recycle rates, and emissions permitting will move the needle.
- Product upgrading: Residual REE oxychlorides still require conversion/purification to marketable oxides/metals; downstream quality specs (magnet-grade) must be met.
Conclusion
Xu et al. present a compelling process-intensified route for REE magnet recycling that checks the boxes investors and policymakers care about: speed, selectivity, footprint, and cost. The industrial proof will hinge on third-party replication, safe chlorine-loop design, and steady-state operations at kg→ton scale—yet the early data position FJH-Cl₂ as a credible contender to rewrite Western REE recycling economics.
Citation: Xu S, Sharp J, Deng B, Liu Q, Eddy L, Chen WQ, et al.; Tour JM (corresponding). Sustainable Separation of Rare Earth Elements from Wastes (opens in a new tab). ChemRxiv (preprint), 2025. doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-pqkj3. (Content not peer-reviewed.)
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