Blood sugar levels can be tested using the magnetometer in smartphones.
Permanent magnets, however, are needed for EVs and wind turbines. The rare earths they contain are particularly valuable. Now, a Northern Irish startup is using a patented method to recycle magnets sustainably.
The magnets are crushed before being mined for base metals like iron, aluminium or copper using an ionic liquid instead of acid.
Next, in a fifteen-step process, the rare earths – neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium – are extracted with 99.9% purity.
Easily reusable, they reduce the need for (sustainable) new mining. A local industrial plant and plans to bring the circular economy to other corners of the globe are underway.
Interestingly, aluminium could double as rare earths.
