About the project

Rare-earth-based permanent magnets, notably Nd-Fe-B-type, are important engineering materials for the modern society and a major application for REEs. They are used in a variety of devices, including consumer electronics, computers, sensors, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and energy-conversion devices like electric motors and wind turbine generators. The contemporary environmental issues of climate change and air pollution in major cities necessitate rapid development of technologies and solutions that will facilitate the green transition and a shift towards a sustainable economy. However, owing to rapid market growth, electric vehicles are today considered a disruptive technology for the consumption of REEs. Projections indicate global shortages of Nd-Fe-B alloys amounting to almost one-third of the total market by 2035. At present, less than 1% of the world’s REEs are being recycled. Recycling end-of-life (EOL) magnets by conventional, i.e., chemical and pyrometallurgical routes, is expensive, energy-intensive, and incompatible with circular economy model needs.

A very promising alternative is the HPMS process (Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap) which can be used to recover the precious Nd-Fe-B material from often complex magnet-containing devices. The SIREN project will build on the existing HPMS technologies, upgrading them with innovative approaches to re-engineer the microstructure of magnets and boost their magnetic performance. Through its novel, environmentally friendly recycling process, SIREN will offer 100% recycled, advanced, Nd-Fe-B magnets, for use in wind-turbine generators and traction motors. This will strengthen the circular economy for rare-earth magnets and lift the reservations regarding the still relatively new green technologies to change the public perception towards green transition initiatives.