Innovate UK

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Valuable rare metals can be harvested from discarded hard disks

What do you do with an old hard drive, the kind that is still in most of the PCs, as soon as it reaches The End of its service life reached?

When Allan Walton has His Way , parts of it could soon be driving your next car on The Road , assuming they're electric.

The University of Birmingham's professor is a Director in the company Hypromag, the extracted and recycled neodymium magnets from hard drives.

neodymium is a Rare Earth Metal Chemical Elements , as essential components in many of today's must-have technologies of smartphones and TV screens. Neodymium is used, among other things, to The Magnets , turn off the engines that drive electric vehicles.

Prof Walton believes that in The Next 10 Years , his company could be recycling enough neodymium to meet a quarter of UK demand - almost all of the currently imported from China .

as soon As electric vehicles are assembled and run, they are generally considered to be More environmentally friendly than cars with Internal Combustion engine. But the Rare Earth magnets is far from Green .

The hard part is bathed in hydrogen, revealing the precious neodymium -

Although the necessary processes to Refine Rare Earths , many of the same chemicals found in oven cleaner and cosmetics, the waste can be destructive if not properly controlled.

In the case of a mining location, Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia , you have contributed to that

in addition to The Mine itself, a tailing's dam, a reservoir is formed by what is still left from the separation of the Rare Earths .

steel-and aluminum-already large well-established recycling programs that help reduce chemical processing.

But they are used in Rare Earths , which are lost in cell phones, hard drives and old Wind Turbines in the rule.

Four Years ago at the University of Birmingham, Prof Walton and his mentor, Professor Rex Harris, through the old hard drives, The Magnets into powder, which can be harvested, repackaged and coated, and the new magnets.

Not only does The Project offer a More environmentally friendly solution for the Rare Earths market, which means the global demand for these minerals, there is a business case to be created.

reclaimed neodymium-can be melted down to make new magnets

“we are missing a trick. There are no problems, the search for Rare Earths , it is the processing of it into a useful material, such as a magnet," Says Prof Walton.

This year, Hypromag expected to announce a deal with The British automobile manufacturer Bentley.

It has a £2. 6m grant from Innovate Uk and a half A Million pound investment and a partnership from an African junior-mining, Mkango.

But, the Hypromag solution, only a fraction of the growing demand for Rare Earths , the analysts estimate, make double by 2025.

Prof Walton believes that if the UK acts now, and creates a scaled Rare Earth recycling Industry , it could be a world market leader.

The opportunity is large, with many emerging technologies, such as 5G sophisticated, Rare Earth , up to the growing need for established technologies, such as mobile phone handsets, micro-processors and Wind Turbines .

More electric cars means More demand for the Rare Earth metals

But the main reason the Rare Earths have been compared to oil, by the government measures, the vehicles, the fuel consumption, the demand for electric.

After 2025, in the Netherlands, do not use petrol or diesel to sell cars. Britain and France have promised to achieve this goal, by the year 2040. In this year, China 's zero-emissions plans to produce 12% of the cars sold in the country.

If you made it to the production of Rare Earths and magnets from them, China is The World leader.

the Land of the corners of The Market , because with it, companies can mine for Rare Earths and process it locally into finished products. More Than 70% of the Rare Earth products exported from China .

the Land of the corners of The Market , because it is the only place in The World , with companies in the Rare Earths into finished products. More Than 70% of the Rare Earth products exported from China .

And, well-established supply chain provides you with unbeatable discounts.

Rare Earths are a part of the Made in China 2025 plan, The World 's leading manufacturers.

But while China exports of processed products, the country, the natural resources are not rich in the heavier types of Rare Earths , most of The Magnets in the demand, such as the neodymium used for car.

China gets most of its neodymium-of Burma and the United States , Says Christopher Ecclestone, a mining strategist at Hallgarten.

The Mountain Pass mine in California is part owned by China 's Shenghe Resources

The Mountain Pass mine in California, sold 100% of its Rare Earth metals in a concentrated form to China and which is part owned by the Chinese company Shenghe Resources, a 9. 9% share.

“The United States is one of China 's largest sources of Rare Earths and the Chinese take it for a song. The Pentagon is driving crazy," he Says .

What is the control over The Market for Rare Earths in China is a byproduct of the already established mines, Says Ian Higgins , The Director of the Less-common metals in Ellesmere Port at Liverpool were.

Other Rare Earth metals and their use

Mr Higgins company is the only manufacturer outside of China to make and combine, to alloys of rare-earth metals.

He pointed out that the Chinese mountain is the state subsidies, supports, and opaque accounting practices are works.

While the Environmental Policy in China has improved, the largest mines were Built prior to their implementation.

"There are a lot of the processing of Rare Earth , the terrible, and there are also a lot of black and grey market smuggling of heavier Rare Earths . "Says Mr Higgins.

But, he adds, that the country is waking up early to the environmental impact of Rare Earth Industry .

Ian Higgins is one of The Few producers of rare-earth alloys, which come from outside of China ,

The Covid-19 pandemic caused global Assembly lines to a standstill. It has also inspired manufacturers, the Rare Earths on the question of the global supply chain and their dependence on a single source country.

The Crisis governments and corporations has pushed to locate "resources", said Andrew Bloodworth, Director of The British Geological Survey.

"people Like Me , who say that our government, that any production, especially in small places, which are prone to interference," Says Mr. Bloodworth. to build

America, Britain and Europe, the supply chains for Rare Earths outside of China a try.

On 13 may, legislation is before the legislature to, among other things, tax breaks for the Industry - $50m in funding was also provided for start-up mines in the United States .

In the EU, called horizon 2020 Fund, an initiative to build a supply chain in several European and Nordic Countries , including the UK.

In the UK, Rare Earths are an integral part of the government, to represent the industrial strategy, according to Jeff Townsend, who Set Up this year, a lobbying firm, the interests of the Industry .

“the government needs to understand and do More Than a great vision of an industrial strategy. It needs to get its hands dirty and make the supply chain," he Says .

"Covid anyone knocked sideways, and many people are looking back at The Way we do things," Says Mr Townsend.

He adds: “When we make the decision that we should be better, then we need to try to be better, because we change to the only way Society as a whole. "

mining, electric cars, environment, car industry, china, recycling

Source of news: bbc.com