European Rare Earth Magnet Recycling Network (EREAN)
Research Project, 2013 – 2017

Because China dominates the rare-earth market and is reducing its export quota, there is a very high supply risk for rare earths in Europe. To tackle this rare-earth crisis, Europe needs to invest in primary mining, substitution and, in particular, urban mining/recycling. To date, less than 1% of the rare earths are being recycled, due to, amongst others, a lack of efficient recycling technologies. The creation of a rare-earth recycling industry in Europe urgently requires an army of skilled chemists and engineers, who can tackle the barriers to develop fully closed-loop environmentally-friendly recycling flow sheets. EREAN will train 15 young researchers (12 ESR + 3 ER) in the S/T of rare earths, with emphasis on the recycling of these elements from permanent magnets. An intensive intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration has been established in the EREAN consortium, which covers the full materials loop, from urban mine to magnet. EREAN will bundle European expertise in a cluster of excellence. Research challenges include the development of efficient extraction of rare-earth-containing materials from electronic waste scrap, removal of exogen elements (Fe, Ni, B) by pyro/hydrometallurgical methods to produce a concentrate of rare earths, new separation methods, direct electrochemical reduction of rare-earth oxides into metals, and the preparation of new magnets. By training the researchers in basic and applied rare-earth sciences, with emphasis on extraction and separation methods and rare-earth metallurgy, sustainable materials management, recycling methods, life cycle assessment (LCA), and the principles of urban mining, they will become the much needed rare earthers for employment in the growing European rare-earth industry. Concurrently, they will receive training in a multitude of soft skills, increasing their employability in the materials recycling and metallurgical industries.

Participants

Britt-Marie Steenari (contact)

Nuclear Chemistry

Mark Foreman

Nuclear Chemistry

Marino Gergoric

Nuclear Chemistry

Mikhail S Tyumentsev

Nuclear Chemistry

Collaborations

Delft University of Technology

Delft, Netherlands

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur

Munchen, Germany

KU Leuven

Leuven, Belgium

Öko-Institut

Freiburg, Germany

Rhodia Operations

Aubervilliers, France

Umicore

Bruxelles, Belgium

University of Birmingham

Birmingham, United Kingdom

University of Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland

Funding

European Commission (EC)

Project ID: EC/FP7/607411
Funding Chalmers participation during 2013–2017

Publications

More information

Project Web Page

erean.eu/

Latest update

2020-09-02