CMR bags $500,000 from DOE for its eco-friendly Wind Turbine Recycling Process

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) chose Iowa-based Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) as one of six companies to receive a $500,000 cash prize, along with $100,000 in support from national laboratories. The DOE prize was awarded to Critical Materials Recycling to implement the acid-free dissolution process for wind turbines. The award was given to CMR for recycling rare earth elements apart from aluminium and copper. Iowa is a state in the upper Midwestern region of the United States.

At Critical Materials Recycling (CMR), engineers disassemble circuit boards, old transmissions, and decommissioned wind turbines to extract and recycle rare earth elements. Unlike most recycling facilities focusing on common metals like copper and aluminium, few have the expertise to break down batteries, causing valuable rare earth materials to go unrecovered.

These elements, prized for their conductive and magnetic properties, are essential for electronics and makeup part of the 10 per cent to 15 per cent of wind turbine components that currently remain unrecycled. In the initial phase of the DOE prize, twenty projects were awarded $75,000 each to develop their ideas further.

CMR collaborated with Ames National Laboratory

Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) collaborated with the Ames National Laboratory to develop an acid-free dissolution recycling process that generates minimal waste, preserves a greater amount of metal components, and eliminates technicians' exposure to hazardous acids.

"The work in the program was really focusing on those materials that have been hard to recycle so far, developing technologies so that you can more cost effectively recycle them and then get them into secondary markets," added Christoffel. 

Nlebedim, who led the research, noted that this innovative process was invented in 2015 at the hub and has since been used in conjunction with TdVib, another company led by Bina that specializes in a specific type of material for sonar-like technologies. Bina's team successfully commercialized the process through Critical Materials Recycling.

Step-by-step description of the recycling process

The initial step involves breaking down various "feedstocks"—such as wind turbines, automotive parts, or other electronics—into their individual components. For example, computer hard drives, which technology companies have already shredded for security reasons, are placed in a rock-tumbler-like machine with a copper salt.

Bina explained that this process selectively dissolves the rare earth materials, extracting them into a solution. After extracting approximately 2 per cent of rare earth elements, the remaining hard drive components containing copper, gold, and aluminium can be sent to a traditional recycler for further processing.

Larger items, such as a sedan transmission or a wind turbine generator, must first be disassembled before undergoing the same recycling process. Some of the magnets can also be recut and reused in various components. Each type of magnet requires a slightly different procedure; however, Bina explained that they all undergo a selective leaching process similar to that used for hard drives in the copper salt tumbler, resulting in a rare earth solution.

The solution is then processed through a series of tanks, where it is precipitated into a solid form and purified into a rare earth material that Bina stated is "exactly" like what buyers would find on the open market. He also noted that the water used in this process undergoes treatment and filtration, allowing it to be reused.

An acid-based process would break down all components except for the rare earth materials, which usually comprise such a small fraction of the electronics that it rarely makes financial sense to pursue. Critical Materials Recycling extracts the copper and aluminium to sell to smelters, helping offset the costs of collecting rare earth materials.

Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize

The $5.1 million Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supporting the goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. Critical Materials Recycling's president and CEO, Dan Bina, noted that while his company was already exploring wind turbine recycling, the DOE funding accelerated and prioritized their efforts.

These materials include the fibre-reinforced composites used in the blades and housing and the rare earth elements within turbine generators. Christoffel emphasized that advancing recycling infrastructure and technology will help reduce waste throughout all stages of turbine life, from production to infrequent updates and eventual decommissioning.

The recycling of critical materials is a major priority for the Department of Energy across various industries, not limited to wind technology. Much of this research is conducted at the Critical Materials Innovation Hub, led by the Ames National Laboratory in Ames.

"Recycling rare earth elements is crucial for the United States, particularly in the context of wind generators, electronic waste... and electric vehicles. It helps reduce the environmental damage caused by mining and processing, conserves finite resources, and supports a circular economy by reusing materials," said Ikenna Nlebedim, a scientist at the hub who worked with Critical Materials Recycling.