Introduction

The invention consists in a process for the zero impact Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) treatment and the recovery of the ferromagnetic substances contained in them with the degree of purity necessary to be reintroduced into the production cycle of permanent magnets for applications to electric motors, magnetic actuators, electromagnets, sensors, etc.

Technical features

RECRYME is a combination of innovative zero impact physical processes to replace the conventional treatment of WEEE, based on combustion and acid digestion (particularly polluting), to extract substances with rare earths and transition metals, in particular ferromagnetic substances (NdFeB, SmCo). RECRYME consists of the following sequence of processes: manual or semi-automatic separation of components containing ferromagnetic substances; hydrogenation of ferromagnetic compounds with consequent decrepitationof earth-rare compounds; cryogenic grinding; heat treatment in vacuum (without combustion) and powders magnetic separation.

Possible Applications

• Recovery of ferromagnetic substances from WEEE;
• Recovery of rare earths and transition metals from WEEE;
• WEEE treatment and disposal;
• Physical processes with low environmental impact for the treatment of WEEE.

Advantages

• Preselection of ferromagnetic substances present in WEEE, with consequent added value compared to traditional treatments;
• Zero impact of the treatment process and energy expenditure contained thanks to the use of innovative materials for cryogenic applications;
• Recovery of strategic resources for present and future technology.