Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

Honda’s planning for the future in a new and unique way.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - April 17, 2012

A lone 2012 Honda CR-Z in an Iowa “Field of Dreams” - $19,695 to start and whose NiMH battery may soon be made of recycled rare earths from one of its predecessors.

Honda Is Entrusting CleanMPG With the 6-speed CR-Z For A Week…

In a release early this morning, Honda and the Japan Metals & Chemicals Company jointly announced the establishment of the world's first process to extract rare earth metals from various used parts in Honda products from a mass-production based recycling plant. We are talking well beyond the pilot stage here. Honda will recycle precious resources by utilizing the newly established process for the recycling of rare earth metals.

Before the end of this month, Honda and Japan Metals & Chemicals will begin extracting rare earth metals from used NiMH batteries collected from Honda hybrid vehicles at Honda dealers inside and outside of Japan. 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 NiMH batteries and recycling nickel-containing scrap as a raw material of stainless steel. However, the successful stabilization of the extraction process at the plant of Japan Metals & Chemicals Co. 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% of rare earth metals contained in used NiMH batteries and Honda intends to reuse the extracted metals not only for NiMH batteries, but also to a wide range of Honda products. Moreover, Honda 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 NiMH batteries.


If you cannot buy them, recycle them the Honda way I always say :D

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

I get this question/comment all the time from people who say they won't get a hybrid because they are concerned about what you do with the battery when it wears out?

Think about it: We as a matter of course expect a standard $100 lead acid battery to be recycled when it wears out and has to be replaced. So then you are going to stand there and tell me that you think we will just throw away $3000+ batteries when they wear out?
When you turn in your old 12 volt battery, do you question the recycling process? No, I would say we are more interested in making sure we get the core charge refund back.

Sorry for the rant.

Glad that Honda is putting a little light on this issue.

Bob

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

these batteries contain 8% by weight of a mixture of lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, praseodymium rare earths.. none are particularly rare. No rare earths in the common lithium-ion or lead-acid formulas.

Nickel, cobalt, copper, cadmium and titanium are the valuable items..


A Review of Battery Life-Cycle Analysis: State of Knowledge and Critical Needs

http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/B/644.PDF

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

Well, Honda does have a steady supply of worn out batteries from the HCH...

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

The issue isn't rarity per se, but availability. China flooding the market with cheap rare earths affected production in other countries. Effective recycling is a useful way of weakening the power of resource holders.

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

Ha! I was going to say the same thing.

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

Yeah, I had that joke queued up too.

OTOH, I've heard Honda's CR-Z doesn't dip into the battery as hard .. so it's going to be interesting to see how it's reputation develops. I still think the (6 speed) cr-z is a winner ... as long as the battery holds up. Fuelly mpg on this car seems to consistently annihilate epa, and it's one of the better looking cars on the road (imo). Once you get up close to one and start looking ... you just want to keep looking. Lots of little design cues that Honda got right -- inside and out.

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

all that Honda and Toyota have to do is switch to lithium.. like Hyundai has done.

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

FYI - rare earth metals are used extensively in the electric motors. That's where recycling makes sense.

Re: Rare Earth’s – If You Cannot Buy It, Recycle It!
 

in some electric motors.. it would be a shame to scrap one of those beautiful motors just because they are 15 years old.