| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Rare Metal Extraction & Processing
|
| Presentation Title |
Recycling Rare Earth Permanent Magnets via Liquid Magnesium Leaching and Distillation |
| Author(s) |
Emmanuel Opoku, Chinenye Chinwego, Adam C. Powell, Brajendra Mishra |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Emmanuel Opoku |
| Abstract Scope |
As the global demand for clean energy technologies surges, the need for sustainable sources of rare earth elements (REEs) has become increasingly urgent. Neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium, vital components in electric vehicles and wind turbines, face supply risks due to the concentrated nature of their mining and refining. This study delves into the recycling of NdFeB magnets, exploring liquid metal leaching using liquid magnesium as the extraction agent. Through experimental approaches such as demagnetization, and stirring during leaching, with filtration using zirconia ceramic foam filters, we successfully separated and recovered high-purity Mg-RE from magnet scrap with no measurable Fe impurities. Post filtration, distillation can be done using a combination of gravity-driven multiple effect thermal system (G-METS) with conventional vacuum distillation. G-METS distillation has the potential to improve the efficiency of rare earth metal extraction, hence contributing to the establishment of a sustainable supply chain for rare earth magnets. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Sustainability, Magnetic Materials |