Critical Materials Recycling & Substitutes For Critical Materials

The DOE Critical Materials Institute (CMI) is focused on increasing supply and reducing demand for rare earth elements in clean energy technologies. Approximately 60% of rare earths resourced from mining end up back in landfill or construction materials. This wastage comes from the manufacturing processes or disposals from the consumer reservoir. Thus, finding substitute manufacturing processes and increasing recyclability and reuse can substantially impact the sustainability of rare earth applications. This talk will discuss the R&D approaches that CMI is taking with respect to recycling and substitute technologies, as well as system analytics to improve the lifecycle sustainability of critical materials.