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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of Phase 1 winners for DOE’s Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP), which will award up to $4 million in cash prizes for projects that substantially increase the production and use of critical materials recovered from electronics scrap—or e-scrap. Projects range from recovering rare earth elements from hard disk drives and developing a process that will optimize the selective recovery of critical materials from e-scrap to recirculating neodymium-iron-boron magnets back into the value chain.
E-scrap includes mobile phones, home appliances, medical or office equipment, and anything else powered by electricity—representing the fastest-growing waste stream globally. In 2019, only 17.4% of e-scrap was collected and recycled globally, wasting $57 billion in raw material value. E-scrap generation is expected to double 2014 levels by 2030.
“Developing innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally safe methods for critical material recovery and extractions will increase the industrial competitiveness of America’s energy industrial base, fortify America’s energy supply chains, and address the environmental sustainability concerns for a rapidly growing waste stream,” said Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office Director Chris Saldaña. “Our nation’s current surplus of unrecycled electronics carries valuable potential that can be realized through improving our ability to convert and repurpose those materials.”
This prize encourages novel ideas that enhance the recovery of critical materials along the recycling value chain from end-of-life products to reintroduction. Innovation is also needed to help integrate separation technologies into the recycling value chain.
Learn more about the selected projects.
Join Phase 2 of the Prize
The prize’s second phase is now open to both returning and new competitors. During this phase, competitors will prototype their innovation and begin collecting data that can be used to optimize technoeconomic strategy and life cycle impacts between partners along the recycling value chain. Phase 2 submissions are due Sept. 9, 2025.
To learn more, register for the informational webinar.
The E-SCRAP prize is funded by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Follow E-SCRAP on the official competition platform to learn more about ongoing competitor activities. Find out more about prizes and competitions from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
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