The recovery of Rare Earths

01
01 - The project
02
02 - Partners
03
03 - News

The INSPIREE project

According to the Critical Raw Materials Act, by 2030 the EU will have to get 25% of its annual CRM needs from recycling, to become independent from the imports of these materials. INSPIREE will face this challenge through the creation of an industrial plant for the recovery of Rare Earths from permanent magnets (PMs) extracted from end-of-life hard disk drives and electric motors.

The industrial scale-up of the PM value chain will be achieved thanks to a two-level process: level I involves the disassembly of magnets at Glob Eco’s plant, while level II consists of the recovery of REE oxalates at Itelyum’s hydrometallurgical plant. The Level I plant will have a dismantling capacity of 1,000 tons/year of electric rotors, while the Level II plant will treat 2,000 tons/year of PMs, resulting in the recovery of about 700 tons/year of REE oxalates.

INSPIREE is based on a strong knowledge of the supply chain and the process, developed also within the realization of the New-RE project pilot plant. The transfer of knowledge and technology from one project to another will be the subject of a specific Work Package, which will serve the three technical WPs aimed at the start-up of the industrial plant and the oxides production. Moreover, the social and environmental impacts of the proposed process will be calculated, and the LIFE Programme KPIs to be achieved during the project will be identified. The output materials, REE oxides and carbonates, could be commercialized even before the end of the project, given the interest already shown by some of the key players in the chain.

The ultimate goal of INSPIREE is to consolidate the value chain related to the recycling of REE-PMs and to promote the circularity of Rare Earths in Europe, by validating the knowledge coming from New-RE and disseminating the project results.

Work Breakdown Structure

Lead partner: UNIVAQ

The main objectives of WP1 are to define the design of the industrial process, by leveraging the results of the first year of New-RE and a feasibility study, and to obtain authorization for the construction of the first- and second-level plants. Activities involve the analysis of the New-RE project to set optimized conditions for the industrial plant, creating a Basic Design Engineering (BDE) report, and ensuring the release of environmental authorizations by regional authorities.

Lead partner: Itelyum

WP2 focuses on the start-up of the Level I plant for the thermal pretreatment of PMs and of the Level II hydrometallurgical plant. Activities involve organizing public tenders for the construction and commissioning of the plants, to ensure they are operational and meet design specifications, selecting technology suppliers, executing the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) phase, and managing the start-up and commissioning process.

Lead partner: Itelyum

This WP aims to start the production of REEs oxides (and/or oxalates), optimizing process conditions and validating the final products with end users. Activities involve tests to optimize the production mode, characterizing raw materials, products, waste and wastewater, ensuring that the production rates reach the project maximum capacity, and the consolidation of data useful for other WPs.

Lead partner: Erion

WP4 aims to review New-RE results and market opportunities, consolidate the supply chain, and prepare reports on the project replication and transfer potential, together with a business plan. Activities involve assessing the commercial feasibility and sustainability of the solutions developed under New-RE, and preparing for their wider application.

Lead partner: UNIVAQ

WP5 focuses on monitoring and evaluating the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of INSPIREE, through analysis of the energy and environmental performance of the plant, and analysis of the social and economic impacts of adopting circular models in industry.

Lead partner: Erion

WP6 aims to communicate and disseminate the project results through different channels, ensuring their visibility and impact. Activities involve creating and promoting a webpage on the project, engaging stakeholders through social media, events, and by attending international conferences to build networks and partnerships.

Lead partner: Itelyum

WP7 focuses on project coordination and management, ensuring effective and proactive project execution. This includes administrative and financial management, monitoring of the project and its milestones, technical and financial reporting, and planning for post-project activities and sustainability. These activities ensure adherence to project objectives, deadlines, and budget, also thanks to the adoption of measures for risk mitigation and conflict resolution.

Partners

Supported by:

P.N. 101113882 – LIFE22-ENV-IT-INSPIREE

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.