Opportunities for plasma separation techniques in rare earth elements recycling

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

卷:182

Article

Gueroult, Renaud¹  Rax, Jean-Marcel²  Fisch, Nathaniel J.³ 

[1] Univ Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INPT,Laplace, F-31062 Toulouse, France

[2] Univ Paris XI, Ecole Polytech, LOA ENSTA CNRS, F-91128 Palaiseau, France

[3] Princeton Plasma Phys Lab, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA

关键词: Rare earth elements;    Recycling;    Separation;    Plasma mass filter;    Economic feasibility;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.066

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Rare earth elements recycling has been proposed to alleviate supply risks and market volatility. In this context, the potential of a new recycling pathway, namely plasma mass separation, is uncovered through the example of nedodymium - iron - boron magnets recycling. Plasma mass separation is shown to address some of the shortcomings of existing rare earth elements recycling pathways, in particular detrimental environmental effects. A simplified mass separation model suggests that plasma separation performances could compare favourably with existing recycling options. In addition, simple energetic considerations of plasma processing suggest that the cost of these techniques may not be prohibitive, particularly considering that energy costs from solar may become significantly cheaper. Further investigation and experimental demonstration of plasma separation techniques should permit asserting the potential of these techniques against other recycling techniques currently under development. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free