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Innovative Process for Production of Neodymium Metal and Neodymium-Iron Master Alloy

Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-SC0011943
Agency Tracking Number: 212777
Amount: $150,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: 02d
Solicitation Number: DE-FOA-0001046
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2014
Award Year: 2014
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2014-06-09
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2015-03-08
Small Business Information
6 C Gill St
Woburn, MA 01801-1721
United States
DUNS: 078433249
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Robert Hyers
 Dr.
 () -
 hyers@bostonelectromet.com
Business Contact
 Robert Hyers
Title: Dr.
Phone: (413) 695-7043
Email: hyers@bostonelectromet.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

Neodymium is an essential element for the powerful permanent magnets used wind turbines, electric vehicles, and other applications. However, neodymium is classified by the Department of Energy as critical due to insufficient and insecure supply, including a virtual monopoly by a few companies in China. Even with the current expansion of rare earth mining in the US, Canada, and Australia, there is a gap in the supply chain where the ores and concentrates from these mines are converted into metals and alloys. Furthermore, incumbent technologies for producing metal from rare earth ores are inefficient, environmentally unfriendly, and unsustainable. The is molten oxide electrolysis (MOE), which will produce neodymium metal and alloys from concentrates efficiently and cleanly. This process involves fewer unit operations than incumbent processes, avoiding conversion of the feed into chlorides and fluorides. By completely eliminating fluorine and chlorine from the process, MOE avoids producing polyfluorinated carbons (PFCs), dioxins, furans, and hydrofluoric acid, and thus also avoids the necessity of cleaning up these emissions. In addition to the advantages in safety and environmental protection, eliminating these steps saves energy, capital, and operating expense. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Include safe, secure access to the materials needed for expanding the modern economy and increasing the deployment of renewable energy, at a lower cost in both economic and environmental terms. Diversity in the supply base may also help to defuse recent geopolitical tension over this critical material.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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