Adapted by:
Javier Pastor
Senior WriterComputer scientist turned tech journalist. I've written about almost everything related to technology, but I specialize in hardware, operating systems and cryptocurrencies. I like writing about tech so much that I do it both for Xataka and Incognitosis, my personal blog.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
SSDs may have become the norm in PCs and laptops, but traditional hard drives still carry weight—literally and strategically. This type of storage media has an additional advantage some companies want to exploit: It contains rare earth elements.
Recycling against Chinese restrictions. Last week, Western Digital announced a major hard drive recycling program. It partnered with Microsoft and specialized companies such as Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) and PedalPoint Recycling.
The recycling will take place in U.S. factories, and the materials will be reused in other manufacturing processes. This measure is a response to the challenges the U.S. now faces in accessing rare earth elements. It’s one example of how the country—like others—must resort to creative solutions amid its trade tensions with China.
Hidden rare metals. This initiative aims to recover rare earth oxides containing dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium. In addition to these rare metals, the process can also extract aluminum, steel, gold, palladium, and copper.
Hard drives galore. Large data centers use hard drives extensively for cloud infrastructures. Their short life cycles mean drives are constantly retired to prevent data loss. Western Digital says it has recovered 21.3 tons of hard drives, SSDs and the trays that house them in such centers.
According to the Financial Times, hard drives in data centers have a useful life of three to five years. Global waste from this equipment could hit 75 million tons by 2030.
Recycling seems to be working. The company’s executives say they have recycled 90% of the rare earth elements and 80% of the other recyclable materials.
It’s a complex but effective process. The hard drives come from Microsoft data centers and are sent to PedalPoint for sorting and processing. The magnets and steel then go to CMR, which uses a process called acid-free dissolution to extract the rare earth elements.
This technology uses a copper salt solution to create a selective leach that yields 99.5% pure rare earth oxides. The company avoids harsh chemicals that could harm the rare earth elements or surrounding materials like aluminum.
And more sustainable. According to a study by Western Digital engineers, this recycling process produces 95% fewer greenhouse gases than traditional rare earth mining.
Hard drive recycling is gaining momentum. Western Digital’s announcement is significant, especially with Microsoft backing the project. But hard drive recycling has long attracted attention from startups. Recent examples include HyProMag and Cyclic Materials, both aiming to extract rare earth elements from recycled drives, just as Western Digital is doing. Other alternatives are also being explored.
Extracting rare earth elements through recycling is appealing. Still, while China has restricted the export of seven rare earth elements, only one—dysprosium—is commonly found in hard drives.
Image | benjamin lehman (Unsplash)
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