Hard disk drive dismantlement for critical material recovery
Abstract
A system and method for recycling rare earth materials from dissimilar hard disk drives are provided. The system and method generally include scanning each hard disk drive, sorting and aligning each hard disk drive, rapid fastener removal or diversion to a metrology station, and the collection of separated value streams, optionally for formation into new magnetic stock. For each scanned hard disk drive having a match in an inventory database, the method includes the separation of an internal magnet from residual components. For each scanned hard disk drive lacking a match in the inventory database, the method includes generating a metrology data collection record containing the location of each fastener on multiple surfaces of the corresponding hard disk drive. The system and method are commercially scalable with the potential to generate between 600 and 700 metric tons of rare earth elements from a single processing facility annually, including neodymium for example.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1892560
- Patent Number(s):
- 11230752
- Application Number:
- 16/799,942
- Assignee:
- UT-Battelle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B09 - DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE B09B - DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE
C - CHEMISTRY C22 - METALLURGY C22B - PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 02/25/2020
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
McIntyre, Timothy J., and Harter, Jonathan J. Hard disk drive dismantlement for critical material recovery. United States: N. p., 2022.
Web.
McIntyre, Timothy J., & Harter, Jonathan J. Hard disk drive dismantlement for critical material recovery. United States.
McIntyre, Timothy J., and Harter, Jonathan J. Tue .
"Hard disk drive dismantlement for critical material recovery". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1892560.
@article{osti_1892560,
title = {Hard disk drive dismantlement for critical material recovery},
author = {McIntyre, Timothy J. and Harter, Jonathan J.},
abstractNote = {A system and method for recycling rare earth materials from dissimilar hard disk drives are provided. The system and method generally include scanning each hard disk drive, sorting and aligning each hard disk drive, rapid fastener removal or diversion to a metrology station, and the collection of separated value streams, optionally for formation into new magnetic stock. For each scanned hard disk drive having a match in an inventory database, the method includes the separation of an internal magnet from residual components. For each scanned hard disk drive lacking a match in the inventory database, the method includes generating a metrology data collection record containing the location of each fastener on multiple surfaces of the corresponding hard disk drive. The system and method are commercially scalable with the potential to generate between 600 and 700 metric tons of rare earth elements from a single processing facility annually, including neodymium for example.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2022},
month = {1}
}
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