Dive Brief:
- The challenges facing rare earths recycling are multi-faceted: Consumer products containing rare earth minerals are difficult to acquire because consumers hold on to electronics such as cell phones, and minerals from vehicles are generally not formally recovered.
- Other retrieval challenges include the minuscule sizes of most minerals used in products and the difficulty in component separation. Technology has increased the amount of elements used to create a product, and the separation of these components is seemingly impossible, due to the complexity of initial production processes.
- Some companies around the globe are attempting to simplify the process of recycling rare earth minerals by altering the design of the product before it even reaches the shelves of retail outlets. The goal is to create goods that are easier to disassemble when the consumer has discarded the used item.
Dive Insight:
In 2010, China supplied nearly 97% of the world's rare earth mineral elements. Prices rose due to this monopoly. Currently prices have settled, and companies are seeking ways to employ product mining technology, especially since the industry is anticipating exponential growth. Attero has established mini-refineries to strip metal from obsolete consumer goods while a landfill in Maine is mining for precious metals on site.