Besides Project Management and Dissemination, the technical work performed includes:
WP1 focused on REE recovery processes. First of all, an evaluation of the different waste streams and their REE content was performed. The outcome was a waste classification according to the concentration of the most interesting REEs for the project (Y, Ce, La), taking into account the information about the presence of other REEs. The most interesting REE-containing waste streams were found to be: fluorescent lamp phosphors, cathode-ray tubes (CRT) phosphors and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. The second task was devoted to the Balance Problem, which is the balance between the demand by the economic markets and the natural abundance of REEs in ores. An overview for the trends in applications of the different REEs was provided discussing the relationship between criticality and the Balance Problem. The Balance Problem implicates that the REE industry has to find new applications for REEs that are available in excess, or to search for substitutions for REEs that have limited availability and that are high in demand. In task 1.3 the treatment of the residues with different processes and chains of processes was performed, defining several process routes. In particular, four routes were tested for REE recovery (Y, Eu, Tb, La and Ce) from fluorescent lamps, one route was studied for Y and Eu recovery from CRT phosphors and two routes were investigated for the recovery of La and Ce recovery from NiMH batteries. These routes were compared by using a multi criteria optimization methodology that included technical, environmental and LCA indicators.
Finally, in task 1.4 the best process combination was selected and an upscaled design to demonstrate the feasibility of the integrated REE recovery process was produced.
WP2 focused on magnesium recycling methodologies. By analysing the dross, the sludge and the scrap, methodologies to recycle scrap and scum were developed and a laboratory test unit was implemented.
WP3 alloyed recycled magnesium with different rare-earth elements, previously narrowed down from the list of available elements in the waste streams that did not hinder the balance problem, and crossed with the end user requirements of the automotive, aeronautics and biomedical industries. The characterization of these alloys allowed measuring the advantages of different compositions for castability, mechanical properties, creep, corrosion and biomedical compatibilities. With the chosen alloy, each end user demonstrated with a use case the weight savings and improved performance of the alloy for different applications.
WP5 was devoted to the LCA analysis of the REE recycling processes (Task 5.1) and to the magnesium recycling process (Task 5.2) with a final analysis of the Mg+REE alloy overall process (Task 5.3). It fed environmental indicators for the decission making processes of WP1 and WP2, and later validated the economical and environmental performance of the upscaled Remaghic industrial facility
