"The REMANENCE concept is to develop new and innovative processes for the recovery and recycling of rare earth (RE) containing neodymium iron boron magnets (NdFeB) from a range of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE). Advanced sensing and mechanical separation techniques combined with innovative processes based on hydrogen decrepitation will recover the rare earth magnets in the WEEE. Significantly with the REMANENCE concept, the aim will be to recover material in a form that can easily re-enter the primary magnet manufacturing production route, so providing large energy savings and production costs.There is no existing process for the recovery of NdFeB magnets from waste streams and this highly valuable material is lost to land fill with no prospect of commercial recovery. The material recovered in the REMANENCE concept will have a substantial economic value, which considering current virgin material costs, is estimated to be €80-120 per kg. If fully implemented REMANENCE will provide a secondary source of materials for the EU, large enough to supply the entire EU bonded magnet manufacturing industry and a significant proportion of the EU’s high value sintered magnet production.REMANENCE brings together Europe’s leading experts in; sensing, disassembly, recycling technology and materials processing with a group of innovative SMEs in a multi-disciplinary project able to deliver significant technical advances. The key technical roles of the SMEs as either equipment manufacturers (CTECH, OPTI, ABI) or direct end users of the recovered materials (MAG) will focus the project towards commercial outputs that will result in excellent exploitation opportunities for the developed processes."