A preliminary feasibility study of potential market applications for non-commercial technology magnets.

Climate change has spurred increased electrification through means of transportation, hydropower, and wind turbines which has caused an increased demand for permanent magnet materials. Current commercial magnet technologies rely heavily on several critical materials such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, samarium, and cobalt which are primarily sourced and refined outside of the United States (U.S.). To combat these problems, the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) has begun research into alternative magnet compositions to reduce critical material content. Additionally, these alternative magnets can fulfill a gap in the market between high performance neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) and samarium cobalt (Sm-Co) magnets and low performance ferrite or bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets, earning the term gap magnets. This research seeks to compile a simple strategy for identifying an application for these alternative magnets and assessing preliminary market impacts through substitution for two example magnets. The first magnet was identified to be applicable for ancillary motors and sensors in conventional gasoline vehicles with a maximum substitution of 4,825 metric tonnes (mt) per year by the year 2050. The second magnet was identified to be applicable for magnetic couplings in energy and industrial sectors with a maximum substitution of 978 mt per year by the year 2050.

Critical material content in modern conventional U.S. vehicle electronics.

Critical materials (CMs) are vital to modern technology. Components of modern vehicles can be recycled to recover and reuse the CMs to help ensure a supply of these materials. Electronic components from a 2015 GMC Sierra truck (21 components) and 2016 Toyota Camry sedan (10 components) were analyzed for CMs. The components were processed via size reduction, aqua regia leaching and dissolution, and final solutions were analyzed for metal content. It was found that most electronic components of both vehicles contain CMs. The most concentrated CMs in the components were Sn, Nb, and Tb. Nd and Co were found in several of the magnetic components. CM economic value was found to be low compared to the overall value of the components, and the CM content would not allow for a viable pathway for recycling. Remanufacturing of components may be a more economic option of reuse in the future.

NdFeB content in ancillary motors of U.S. conventional passenger cars and light trucks: Results from the field.

Research into secondary recovery of rare earth elements (REE) has focused mostly on hard disk drives and automotive applications. While REE content in Japanese and European vehicles is relatively well-known, understanding of U.S. vehicles is mostly based on database analysis. An attempt to pinpoint which components contain the most REEs was conducted on four different vehicle models including the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord. The disassembly data were combined with 2017 vehicles in operation to estimate stocks and flows of Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB). Results showed that U.S. vehicles had major differences compared to Japanese and European vehicles. NdFeB magnets were only found in speakers ranging from 16 to 114 g/vehicle. An estimated 3.0-14 tonnes of NdFeB could be available from end-of-life vehicles in 2018 from different cohorts of the four aforementioned models. While opportunities for recycling NdFeB in vehicles exist, challenges are also present.