Recycling

Erbium Recycling: Potential and Current State

Recycling of Erbium from end-of-life products and manufacturing scrap represents an important secondary supply source that can reduce dependence on primary mining, lower environmental impacts, and improve supply chain resilience. However, recycling rates and technical feasibility vary significantly depending on the application and product design.

Current Recycling Rates

The recycling rate for Erbium varies by application and region. Some uses, particularly those involving large, easily identifiable components, achieve relatively higher recovery rates. However, applications where Erbium is used in small quantities, complex assemblies, or dissipative uses pose significant recycling challenges. Overall, the global end-of-life recycling rate for most critical minerals remains well below 50%.

Recycling Technologies

Current and emerging recycling technologies for Erbium include mechanical separation, pyrometallurgical recovery, hydrometallurgical extraction, and direct recycling approaches. Each technology has distinct advantages in terms of recovery rate, energy consumption, and the purity of recovered material. Research and development efforts are focused on improving the economics and efficiency of these processes to make recycling a more viable supply source.

Barriers to Recycling

Key barriers to expanded Erbium recycling include the complexity of modern product designs that combine multiple materials, the low concentration of Erbium in many end-of-life products, collection and logistics challenges, and the economics of recovery versus primary production costs. Regulatory frameworks such as extended producer responsibility schemes and recycled content mandates are being developed to address these barriers.

Circular Economy Opportunities

The transition toward a circular economy for Erbium involves not only end-of-life recycling but also design for recyclability, manufacturing scrap recovery, and urban mining of stockpiled waste. Given the high supply risk for Erbium, developing robust recycling infrastructure is a strategic priority for consuming nations.