History of Critical Minerals and Application to Recycling a REE Magnet

Speakers: Professor Courtney Young and Mitchell Harvey

Abstract: Minerals have been critical throughout history but rarely have more than 4 been critical simultaneously. Today, many countries like the USA have added more than 50 to their critical minerals lists. Professor Courtney Young will address the history of critical minerals and briefly review the research efforts he and his students have pursued. Mitchell Harvey will then discuss his efforts on SmCo permanent magnets which contain up to 77 wt% Co with the balance being predominantly Sm and Fe. Having an effective way to recycle these magnets is important for ensuring a continuous supply of Sm and Co, of which both are considered critical. Mitchell has been investigating a selective oxidation roasting process for converting the Sm to SmFeO₃ and Sm₂O₃ while leaving the Co in elemental form. Different methods were examined for liberating and separating the oxides and Co metal in the selectively oxidized magnets. Courtney and Mitchell will conclude their talk with a thought-provoking statement.

Bios: Professor Courtney Young is a graduate of three premiere mining institutions where he learned mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. He loves to apply these separation technologies to recover critical materials as well as solve sustainability issues associated with waste processing, water remediation, tailings and slags recycling, ash/dust and spent pot-liner treatment, energy reduction, and flowsheet development. While a faculty member for more than 32 years, Courtney has taught numerous courses for students and short courses for professionals. His research has been funded by numerous entities ranging from industry to federal agencies. Courtney enjoys working with companies to help them solve problems and/or work on projects that they cannot get to, particularly when it employs students, both graduate and gets them real-world experiences.

Mitchell Harvey earned his BS in Chemical Engineering in 2020 from Mississippi State University where he became interested in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. He pursued his MS in Metallurgical Engineering/Mineral Processing Engineering at Montana Tech, graduating in 2022 after doing a thesis on 'High Pressure Ablation Slurry Ablation for Improving Separation of Cu/Mo and Flotation of Au Tailings'. He is now in his third-year of PhD research in Materials Science & Engineering at Montana Tech, doing a dissertation on 'Selective Oxidation for Recycling SmCo Magnets'. It’s been Mitchell's dream to do mineral processing in his MS and then use extractive metallurgy for his PhD.