What does VALOMAG intent to bring to the table?
The VALOMAG project is working toward demonstrating and up-scaling the dismantling process for permanent magnets from End-of-Life products as hard disk drives, electrical drives and wind turbine generators.
To material availability
- By a technology to separate permanent magnets from different waste sources, based on a technology already at pilot level developed by BRGM in the EXTRADE project
- By implementing a new dismantling process line with magnet recycling
- By proving the proposed technology for manufacturing (sintering and bonding) magnets at pilot scale and industrial scale
- By obtaining REE oxides that can be subsequently used in different components or enter in a chemical process to separate the REE from oxides.
- By recovering more than 98% of permanent magnets from treated devices
To viability
- By optimizing the operational conditions of each unitary operation in order to lower operating costs
To responsibility
- By combining LCA insights with the process integration with flowsheet simulation. This provides direct feedback to partners operating the pilot-plant facilities, and provides suggestions for improving the environmental performance of the novel technologies developed in VALOMAG
To a resilient strategy
- By assessing the impact of VALOMAG on Europe’s dependence on light and heavy rare earths after the successful completion of the project, as well as the added benefit of secure supply