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<\/a>Despite their importance in our lives, only 1% of rare earth elements get recycled from end products. In 2021, we mined 32 times as many rare earth elements as in the mid-1950s. By 2040, it\u2019s estimated that demands will reach 7 times of what they are now. The extraction and concentration of rare earths will be energy intensive and potentially damaging to the environment. The toxic chemicals and radioactive waste must be safely deposited, which in turn takes up more resources. Also, China currently has a monopoly over the rare earths market, making it difficult for some countries to get their hands on these precious metals. Due to the growing demands, various suggestions about how to obtain more rare earths to satisfy those demands have emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recycling seems like an easy way to get our hands on a larger supply of rare earths. It is the way the US and Europe get back 15 to 70 percent of other metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, nickel, and tin. \u201cCopper wiring can be recycled into more copper wiring. Steel can just be recycled into more steel,\u201d said Simon Jowitt, an economic geologist at the University of Nevada, but a lot of rare earth products are \u201cinherently not very recyclable.\u201d Rare earth elements are usually mixed with other metals in end products and they generally show up in small amounts. Traditional rare earth recycling methods use harmful chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and a lot of heat. This process releases substances and furthermore, the cost to recycle ends up greater than the worth of the products formed. This is why scientists attempted to find more efficient ways to recycle and save our supply of rare earth materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One such solution involves the use of microbes and bacteria. Some bacterias produce organic acids that can pull rare earths, such as lanthanum and cerium, from the mixed end-products. They are better for the environment than hydrochloric acid or other acids traditionally used for the recycling of rare earth metals. However, this process also has its downsides since it has been proven in an experiment that it can only extract about 50% of the rare earths. On the other hand, environmentally-harmful hydrochloric acid can extract up to 99% of rare earths. Furthermore, feeding the bacteria that produce the acids can be extremely costly as well, taking the majority of the profit away. Another potential source of rare earth recycling comes from magnets. 30% of the neodymium-iron-boron magnets are composed of rare earths, making it one of the largest holders of such metals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flash joule heating and the use of intense electricity can be another method of recycling rare earths. It was devised by a group at Rice University, and they did so by putting the target substances in a tube and using electricity that \u201cflashed\u201d it to around 5400 degrees Fahrenheit. This can separate the rare earth elements from the rest of the gadget containing it, and it needs to be processed after the separation process. The system used is designed to be able to capture the toxic chemical released and prevent them from harming the environment. Unlike the strong nitric acid, a more diluted hydrochloric acid is used. However, more waste will be released when the rare earths get separated. Managing the waste products once again became a major issue. <\/p>\n\n\n