America's untapped rare earth source: Its trash
Summary
The U.S. is working to secure supplies of rare earth elements, which are vital for many modern technologies and defense. Experts suggest recycling rare earths from old electronics and devices could be a better way to get these materials instead of only mining new sources.Key Facts
- Rare earth elements are 17 metals used in things like smartphones, wind turbines, and military jets.
- China currently dominates the rare earth market, which is important for U.S. manufacturing and defense.
- Less than 1% of rare earths used are recycled; most end up as waste in electronics, airplanes, and ships.
- Recycling rare earths is hard because devices contain small amounts scattered in complex ways.
- Recycling is seen as better for the environment compared to mining new rare earth deposits.
- MP Materials runs the only active U.S. rare earth mine in California and is working on recycling efforts.
- Apple has partnered with MP Materials to recycle magnets and has a robot called Daisy to recover materials from iPhones.
- The goal is to create a "closed loop" supply chain where materials are reused continuously to reduce the need for new mining.
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