Honda Motors, Japan Metals & Chemicals Establish Rare Earth Metals Recycling Project

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and the Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd. have jointly announced the establishment of what they are calling the world's first process to extract rare earth metals from used parts in Honda products in a mass-production process at a recycling plant. In a news release, Honda adds that it will pursue recycling of precious resources by using a new process for recycling of rare earth metals.

As part of the effort, by the end of April 2012, Honda and Japan Metals & Chemicals will start extracting rare earth metals from used nickel-metal hydride batteries collected from Honda’s hybrid vehicles at Honda dealers. Honda says the new operation will be the first in the world to extract rare earth metals as part of a mass-production process at a recycling plant.

Honda had been applying a heat treatment to used nickel-metal hydride batteries and recycling nickel-containing scrap as a raw material of stainless steel. However, the successful stabilization of the extraction process at Japan Metals & Chemicals’ plant made possible the extraction of rare earth metals in a mass-production process with purity as high as that of newly mined and refined metals.

The new process enables the extraction of as much as above 80 percent of rare earth metals contained in used nickel-metal hydride batteries. Honda will strive to reuse extracted rare earth metals not only for nickel-metal hydride batteries but also in a wide range of Honda products. Moreover, Honda says it will further expand the recycling of rare earth metals in the future as the newly established process enables the extraction of rare earth metals from a variety of used parts in addition to nickel-metal hydride batteries.