Hard disk drives

• Globally, it was estimated that computers accounted for 33.8% of REE (NdFeB) magnet use in 2007, about 36,000 t in terms of mass [1]. 

• By 2016, about 14,300 t of Neodymium (Nd) were accumulated by the in-stock market in the EU, where HDDs represent more than 80% of secondary Nd reserves [2].

• By the late 2020s, end-of-life HDDs are expected to become the main secondary source for supplying Nd in a global scale [3]. 

To learn more about REE please follow the following link

[1] Du, X.; Graedel, T.E. Global Rare Earth In-Use Stocks in NdFeB Permanent Magnets. J. Ind. Ecol. 2011, 15, 836–843. 

[2] Ciacci, L.; Vassura, I.; Cao, Z.; Liu, G.; Passarini, F. Recovering the “new twin”: Analysis of secondary neodymium sources and recycling potentials in Europe. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2019, 142, 143–152.

[3] Rademaker, J.H.; Kleijn, R.; Yang, Y. Recycling as a Strategy against Rare Earth Element Criticality: A Systemic Evaluation of the Potential Yield of NdFeB Magnet Recycling. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47, 10129–10136.