LG Electronics Develops Technology to Recover Rare Metals from Discarded Appliances... Securing 1.6 Tons Annually

LG Electronics has developed technology to recover rare earth elements from discarded home appliances. Through a pilot project utilizing this technology, the company plans to recover approximately 1.6 tons of rare earth permanent magnets from 40,000 discarded appliances annually.

Rare earths are key minerals for high-tech industries, widely used in electric vehicles, home appliances, and industrial motors, yet reliance on foreign sources is high. Permanent magnets are embedded in core appliance parts such as compressors, but their powerful magnetic force made them difficult to separate. Consequently, in the past, only a few metals like copper were recovered, with the majority being processed as scrap metal.

The core of LG Electronics' development is a 'demagnetization technology' utilizing magnetic fields. By removing the powerful magnetic force of the permanent magnets to allow for safe separation, this method reduces energy consumption compared to existing heat treatment methods that require high temperatures, while also preserving the properties of the magnets.

Vision AI technology is also employed in the separation process. Once AI recognizes the size and shape of discarded compressors and analyzes the location of the internal permanent magnets, an optimized separation process is applied for each product.

The magnets recovered in this manner are expected to be used as raw materials for manufacturing new permanent magnets in the future. LG Electronics plans to integrate this technology into a resource circulation system, expanding a circular economy model that utilizes discarded appliances as a new source of key minerals and building a foundation for the stable recycling of future critical minerals.