📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/10/2023
End Date: 31/03/2027
Total Eligible Budget: 5,409,049 €
EU Contribution: 3,245,429 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The overall objective of the close to the market LIFE INSPIREE project is to realize the first industrial-scale plant in Europe for the recycling of REEs from spent NdFeB magnets (Hard Drives (HDD) and End-Of-Life electric motors). INSPIREE will build on the results achieved at pilot scale of previous EU funded project (EITRM-NEWRE, H2020-FENIX and FP7-HydroWEEE). The hydrometallurgical process has been patented by one of the partners (WO/2019/215583A1) and this strategic know-how was transferred to Itelyum during the previous research-pilot phase. A two-levels process will be developed for permanent magnets disassembly (Level I) and REE oxalates recovery by hydrometallurgy (Level II). Level I plant at Globeco will have a final workable capacity of 1000 t/y in terms of electric rotors disassembly. Level II plant at Itelyum has a full-scale capacity of 2000 t/y in terms of incoming NdFeB PMs, thus enabling – in perspective – to recovery about 700 t/y of REEs. The hydromet process shows important technical advantages with respect to state of the art techniques, but more importantly significant environmental improvements either in terms of chemicals and water reuse. Output materials, REE oxides and carbonates, will be possibly exploited commercially already before the end of the project, thanks to the collaboration with the major player in Italy and Europe.
