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Holistic Approach to enhance the Recyclability of rare-earth permanent Magnets Obtained from aNY waste stream

Project description

A new start for end-of-life magnets

In a world increasingly reliant on technology, the demand for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) has surged, yet their supply remains precarious. Europe, facing a scarcity of these critical materials, grapples with the challenge of securing a sustainable source for its industries. In this context, the EU-funded HARMONY project pioneers a closed-loop recycling process for end-of-life NdFeB permanent magnets. This innovative endeavour encompasses collection, dismantling, and recycling of magnets and WEEE scrap, ultimately producing recycled NdFeB powder for magnet manufacturing. With eight pilot plants, HARMONY aims to ensure scalability and viability. It also promises comparable properties to primary powder magnets, fostering a circular economy.

Objective

HARMONY project aims at strengthening the independency and the competitiveness of European industry, enabling a resilience value chain of raw materials by developing and validating at pilot scale an innovative, green and safe closed-loop recycling process of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from End-of-Life (EoL) NdFeB permanent magnets. The recycling loop encompasses the collection and dismantling of EoL NdFeB magnets and WEEE scrap, the recovery of REE metals through an indirect recycling process, the production of recycled NdFeB powder via three direct recycling methods, the manufacturing of magnets from the recycled powder, and the validation of the recycled magnets in end-user applications. Collection and recycling steps will be implemented in 8 pilot plans reaching a final TRL of 6-7. The combination of direct and indirect recycling technologies will allow dealing with any scrap containing NdFeB in any form (sintered or bonded magnets). The recycled NdFeB magnets will be used in the same applications as the magnets made from primary powder, since they will exhibit comparable properties. Additionally, they will be recyclable via the same routes. A Dissemination, Exploitation, and communication Master Plan (DECMP) will be developed to maximize the impact beyond the lifetime of HARMONY project. HARMONY will build upon existing standards during the development of the novel products, ensuring compatibility with market conditions and increasing transparency for prospective customers. The economic, environmental and social viability of these processes will be demonstrated via Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). Furthermore, social innovation including citizen dialogue, policy issues, standardization and ethics will be considered to overcome the non-technological barriers that make difficult to introduce these novel technologies at the short term in the market.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2023-RESILIENCE-01

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Coordinator

ASOCIACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO CEIT
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 731 562,50
Address
PASEO MANUEL DE LARDIZABAL 15
20018 San Sebastian
Spain

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Region
Noreste País Vasco Gipuzkoa
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 731 562,50

Participants (19)

Partners (1)

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