ICOB Prague’s chelator tech separates rare earths cleanly—and just revealed holmium’s surprise EV comeback.
A rare earth breakthrough could rewrite the rules of recycling.Scientists at IOCB Prague have developed a cleaner, smarter way to recover these critical elements, crucial to technologies from smartphones to wind turbines.
The technique can efficiently extract metals like neodymium and dysprosium from discarded magnets, bypassing the toxic solvents and waste generated by conventional processes.With global demand for rare earths soaring, the need for sustainable recovery methods has never been greater. Magnets, metals, minus wasteCurrent extraction techniques are notoriously energy-intensive and environmentally damaging, often leaving behind toxic and radioactive waste.China’s dominance of the rare earth supply chain has further raised geopolitical stakes, especially for Europe and North America.In this context, “urban mining”, the process of recycling and reuse of elements from end-of-life products, is emerging as a strategic imperative. The new process developed at IOCB Prague could play a pivotal role in securing domestic rare earth supplies.“Our method solves the fundamental problems of recycling neodymium magnets. We can separate the right elements so that new magnets can be produced. Our process is environmentally friendly, and we believe that it will work on an industrial scale,” explains Miloslav Polášek, head of the Coordination Chemistry group.“Fortunately, unlike plastics, chemical elements don’t lose their properties through repeated processing, so their recycling is sustainable and can compensate for traditional mining.”The project is also central to the doctoral thesis of Kelsea G. Jones, a member of Polášek’s group.Jones explained that the team developed a new type of chelator, a molecule that binds metal ions, which specifically precipitates neodymium from dissolved magnets, while dysprosium stays in solution.Cleaner, cheaper methodThis allows for clean separation of the elements. She noted that the method avoids hazardous waste, operates in water, and performs as well as or better than traditional approaches using toxic chemicals.It can also be adapted for other rare earth elements found in neodymium magnets.Already patented, the technology comes at a time when industrial sectors are actively seeking cleaner alternatives.“We’re impatiently awaiting the results of a feasibility study, which will help us direct this research from the laboratory into practice. I believe that in cooperation with the investors and business partners we’re approaching, this new technology from IOCB Prague has the potential to influence a wide range of industrial sectors,” says Milan Prášil, director of the transfer company IOCB Tech.The research also uncovered another important finding. It was revealed that holmium, a rare earth element not previously associated with neodymium magnets, is being used in the motors of newer electric vehicles.The team identified the presence of the rare earth element by analyzing parts from European and Chinese electric vehicles.The discovery could reshape how future recycling systems are designed, many of which currently overlook the element entirely.The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society .
Green Tech Holmium IOCB Prague Lanthanides Magnets Neodymium Rare Earths Recycling Urban Mining
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