Highlights
- The Texas A&M University research team has developed a low-energy method to extract rare earth elements directly from electronic waste.
- This initiative is backed by a $17 million investment from the Department of Energy (DOE).
- The solid-phase extraction process can recover critical minerals from e-waste with lower energy consumption and minimal solvent usage.
- The method addresses supply chain dependence on China for rare earth materials.
- Currently, less than 1% of rare earth materials in e-waste are recycled, highlighting a significant opportunity for domestic critical mineral recovery.
- There is a potential for leadership in the circular economy through improved recycling processes.
Maddi Busby at Texas A&M University College of Engineering (opens in a new tab) reports that in a nation where nearly 80% of rare earth elements (REEs) are imported — primarily from China — a research team at the Texas University is pioneering a solution that may rewire America’s critical mineral supply chain: extracting rare earths directly from electronic waste.
Backed by a $17 million investment from the U.S. Department of Energy, the research initiative is led by Dr. Jenny Qiu, (opens in a new tab) Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Shiren Wang, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Their work focuses on building a sustainable, low-energy method to reclaim valuable REEs like neodymium from old smartphones, tablets, TV screens, and circuit boards — transforming e-waste into strategic resource flows.
Buried Treasure? Recovering Critical Elements from Waste
The scale of the opportunity is staggering: the world generated more than 53 million metric tons of electronic waste in 2019. Yet, according to Texas A&M, less than 1% of rare earth materials in e-waste are currently recycled.
That’s about to change. With surging global demand for REEs to power EVs, wind turbines, smartphones, and defense systems, the U.S. government has turned to domestic innovation to mitigate strategic vulnerability. Texas A&M’s project is one of 14 national initiatives funded to strengthen the domestic critical minerals ecosystem.
Their key innovation? A solid-phase extraction (SPE) process that uses mesoporous carbon foams — a high-surface-area material designed to pull REEs from complex e-waste streams selectively. Compared to conventional solvent-heavy, energy-intensive extraction methods, SPE offers:
- Lower energy consumption
- Minimal solvent usage
- Scalable industrial integration
- Cost-effective recovery of key REEs
“Innovative materials and novel device design will facilitate the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies and grid modernization efforts,” said Dr. Qiu. “This research field is highly promising and positions mechanical engineering at the forefront of global energy transformation.”
Circular Supply Chains and Energy Security
The Texas A&M-Oak Ridge National Laboratory collaboration is more than a scientific success story — it’s a strategic policy breakthrough.
Rare earth recycling from e-waste directly addresses four systemic challenges facing the U.S.:
- Supply chain dependence: China still controls over 90% of REE refining. E-waste recycling offers a domestic alternative with zero new mining required.
- Environmental cost: Traditional rare earth extraction produces toxic waste and radioactive by-products. SPE offers a cleaner pathway.
- Material scarcity: Key elements like neodymium and dysprosium are indispensable for electric motors and defense platforms but are constrained by geopolitics.
- Circular economy leadership: The U.S. has lagged in circular resource utilization. This project could lead a global shift in how critical materials are sourced and reused.
Beyond phones and tablets, this technology could eventually apply to automotive scrap, wind turbine magnets, and legacy military electronics — creating a secondary REE stream to supplement domestic mining and refining efforts.
Engineering a Strategic Pivot
Rare Earth Exchanges (REEx) sees this work as a vital contribution to closing the midstream gap — not just mining critical minerals, but recovering and refining them infrastructure-free, from the billions of discarded electronic devices already in circulation.
Texas A&M’s leadership, combined with public funding and national laboratory support, represents exactly the kind of systems-based innovation required to rebalance the global rare earth economy. As REEx has long emphasized, securing rare earths is not just about digging new mines — it’s about owning the entire lifecycle, from extraction to reuse.
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