Sourcing, Refining and Recycling of Rare-Earth Magnets

John Ormerod, Anirudha Karati, Ajay Pal Singh Baghel, Denis Prodius and Ikenna C. Nlebedim ()
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John Ormerod: John Ormerod Consulting Limited Liability Company, Loudon, TN 37774, USA
Anirudha Karati: Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory, Division of Critical Materials, US DOE, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Ajay Pal Singh Baghel: Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory, Division of Critical Materials, US DOE, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Denis Prodius: Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory, Division of Critical Materials, US DOE, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Ikenna C. Nlebedim: Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory, Division of Critical Materials, US DOE, Ames, IA 50011, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-40

Abstract: Permanent magnets today are used in a wide range of transportation, industrial, residential/commercial, consumer electronics, defense, domestic, data storage, wind energy, and medical markets and applications. There are five classes of commercial permanent magnet materials; however, magnets based on Nd-Fe-B account for over 60% of the global magnet production by value. They typically contain around 31 wt.% of rare earth elements (REEs), principally, Nd and Pr, plus Dy for higher-temperature performance. Nd-Fe-B magnets are forecast to grow throughout this decade, largely driven by the growth in electric vehicles of all types. However, several studies forecast a shortfall of the primary REEs from mined resources. In this paper, the sourcing, processing, and recycling of REEs are discussed. Additionally, presented are the advantages and disadvantages of the major recovery and recycling technologies for REEs.

Keywords: rare earth elements; magnets; Nd-Fe-B; electric vehicles; motors; recycling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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