Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling
This study investigates the optimization of liquid metal leaching for recycling rare earth elements (REEs) from NdFeB magnets, a critical step in addressing the increasing demand for these materials in various high-tech applications. We explored the effects of leaching time, stirring, and magnet dem...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Metals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/11/1299 |
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| author | Emmanuel Opoku Chinenye Chinwego Adam Powell Brajendra Mishra |
| author_facet | Emmanuel Opoku Chinenye Chinwego Adam Powell Brajendra Mishra |
| author_sort | Emmanuel Opoku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates the optimization of liquid metal leaching for recycling rare earth elements (REEs) from NdFeB magnets, a critical step in addressing the increasing demand for these materials in various high-tech applications. We explored the effects of leaching time, stirring, and magnet demagnetization on the yield of the leaching process using molten magnesium. Conducted at 900 °C, our experiments assessed the leaching process over periods of 2, 3.5, and 5 h, with and without the application of stirring. Our findings show that longer leaching times considerably increase neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) leaching yield, with a notable peak in efficiency found at 5 h. Stirring improved the uniformity of REEs significantly and resulted in up to 80% yield. Furthermore, our data show that pre-leaching magnet demagnetization improves leaching specificity, significantly reducing the presence of non-target metals like nickel and copper. These insights offer a pathway to more cost-effective recycling of REEs from magnet scrap, which is essential for environmentally conscious management of resources amid the escalating global demand for REEs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b7c4c8b387a4846ba955f99b2f5c726 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4701 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Metals |
| spelling | doaj-art-3b7c4c8b387a4846ba955f99b2f5c7262024-11-26T18:13:38ZengMDPI AGMetals2075-47012024-11-011411129910.3390/met14111299Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet RecyclingEmmanuel Opoku0Chinenye Chinwego1Adam Powell2Brajendra Mishra3Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Worcester Rd., Worcester, MA 01609, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Worcester Rd., Worcester, MA 01609, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Worcester Rd., Worcester, MA 01609, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Worcester Rd., Worcester, MA 01609, USAThis study investigates the optimization of liquid metal leaching for recycling rare earth elements (REEs) from NdFeB magnets, a critical step in addressing the increasing demand for these materials in various high-tech applications. We explored the effects of leaching time, stirring, and magnet demagnetization on the yield of the leaching process using molten magnesium. Conducted at 900 °C, our experiments assessed the leaching process over periods of 2, 3.5, and 5 h, with and without the application of stirring. Our findings show that longer leaching times considerably increase neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) leaching yield, with a notable peak in efficiency found at 5 h. Stirring improved the uniformity of REEs significantly and resulted in up to 80% yield. Furthermore, our data show that pre-leaching magnet demagnetization improves leaching specificity, significantly reducing the presence of non-target metals like nickel and copper. These insights offer a pathway to more cost-effective recycling of REEs from magnet scrap, which is essential for environmentally conscious management of resources amid the escalating global demand for REEs.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/11/1299rare earth magnetrecyclingliquid metal leachingselective passivation |
| spellingShingle | Emmanuel Opoku Chinenye Chinwego Adam Powell Brajendra Mishra Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling Metals rare earth magnet recycling liquid metal leaching selective passivation |
| title | Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling |
| title_full | Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling |
| title_fullStr | Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling |
| title_short | Liquid Metal Leaching for Rare Earth Magnet Recycling |
| title_sort | liquid metal leaching for rare earth magnet recycling |
| topic | rare earth magnet recycling liquid metal leaching selective passivation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/11/1299 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emmanuelopoku liquidmetalleachingforrareearthmagnetrecycling AT chinenyechinwego liquidmetalleachingforrareearthmagnetrecycling AT adampowell liquidmetalleachingforrareearthmagnetrecycling AT brajendramishra liquidmetalleachingforrareearthmagnetrecycling |