(Secure European Critical Rare Earth Elements)

What did the project achieve?

This project started in 2018 and came to a close in 2022. The aim was to establish a stable and secure supply of critical rare earth elements based on a sustainable extraction from European apatite sources used in fertiliser production. The focus was on Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd) and Dysprosium (Dy) used in permanent magnets, as these are extremely critical for the European economy.

Pilot processes were developed for the innovative extraction, separation and transformation of rare earth elements. These REEs will be supplied to application areas like automotive (electric vehicles), industrial motors (advanced manufacturing) and, potentially, clean energies (wind turbines).

You can read the final report here.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

Project Partners: