Globally, it was estimated that computers accounted for 33.8 per cent of rare earth element (REEs) (in neodymium magnets) use in 2007, or about 36 000 tonnes (t) in terms of mass. By 2016, about 14 300 t of neodymium were accumulated by the in-stock market in the EU, where hard disk drives (HDDs) represent more than 80 per cent of secondary neodymium reserves
By the late 2020s, end-of-life HDDs are expected to become the main secondary source for supplying neodymium on the global scale.
More information
Further reading
Ciacci, L, Vassura, I, Cao, Z, Liu, G, and Passarini, F. 2019. Recovering the “new twin”: Analysis of secondary neodymium sources and recycling potentials in Europe. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 142, 143–152. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.11.024
Du, X, and Graedel, T E. 2011. Global rare earth in-use stocks in NdFeB permanent magnets. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 15(6), 836–843. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00362.x
Rademaker, J H, Kleijn, R, and Yang, Y. 2013. Recycling as a strategy against rare earth element criticality: a systemic evaluation of the potential yield of NdFeB magnet recycling. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 47(18), 10129–10136. DOI: 10.1021/es305007w