Tech Company invests in technology to recover critical raw materials from hard drives
Microsoft wants to avoid the generation of waste in its own production processes by 2030. The development of new recycling technologies is correspondingly important. The company’s Climate Innovation Fund initiative is now investing in one such technology for disused hard drives with an equity investment in Cyclic Materials. The Kingston-based business points out in a press release that gold, silver and other metals were previously almost exclusively recovered from the discarded storage media. With the new system, it is now also possible to recycle rare earths from some of the hard disks. These would then be extracted using the company’s own hydrometallurgical technology. The other part of the components would be handed over to the classic recycling process. Cyclic Materials already has a supply contract for recycled rare earths with the Belgian chemical company Solvay (we reported).
“As demand for rare earth elements continues to grow in importance, we’re excited to support the creation of a sustainable supply of these materials with this investment.”comments Brandon Middaugh, Senior Director of the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund. In Europe, there is also HyProMag, a company dedicated to building a circular economy for rare earths from hard disks and wind turbines. German company Heraeus also recently opened Europe’s largest recycling plant for rare earth magnets. To date, only a fraction of these magnets have been recovered, but the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act will introduce fixed quotas for the recovery of many important raw materials by 2030.
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