HARMONY - Holistic Approach to enhance the Recyclability of rare-earth permanent Magnets Obtained from aNY waste stream

The HARMONY project aims to strengthen the independence and competitiveness of European industry and enable a resilient value chain of raw materials by developing and validating on a pilot scale an innovative, environmentally friendly and safe recycling process for rare earth elements (REEs) from end-of-life NdFeB permanent magnets. The recycling cycle includes the collection and dismantling of EoL NdFeB magnets and WEEE scrap, the recovery of REE metals through an indirect recycling process, the production of recycled NdFeB powder through three direct recycling methods, the production of magnets from the recycled powder and the validation of the recycled magnets in end-user applications. The collection and recycling steps are carried out in 8 pilot plans that achieve a final TRL value of 6-7. The combination of direct and indirect recycling technologies will make it possible to process any scrap containing NdFeB in any form (sintered or bonded magnets). The recycled NdFeB magnets will be used in the same applications as magnets made from primary powder, as they have comparable properties. They can also be recycled in the same ways. A Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Master Plan (DECMP) will be developed to maximise the impact beyond the lifetime of the HARMONY project. HARMONY will build on existing standards in the development of the novel products to ensure compatibility with market conditions and increase transparency for potential customers. The economic, environmental and social viability of these processes will be demonstrated through life cycle analyses (LCA), social life cycle analyses (S-LCA) and life cycle cost analyses (LCCA). In addition, social innovation, including citizen dialogue, policy issues, standardisation and ethics, will be considered to overcome the non-technological barriers that make it difficult to bring these new technologies to market in the short term.