Neodymium Recycling for Sustainable Resource Management

Neodymium, a critically listed Rare Earth Material, is gaining increasing attention due to the urgent need for reliable and unobstructed global access. Safeguarding the stock of NdFeB (neodymium-iron-boron) is crucial to sustain its use in modern products. NdFeB magnets are primarily employed in hard disk drives, loudspeakers, and wind turbines, although their application extends to generators, electric vehicle motors, and various other devices. Typically, these components have a service life of 5 to 15 years. Currently, a significant portion of the waste ends up in landfills or is lost during the shredding process. E-waste as a whole contributes to 4% of Europe’s total waste, a figure that escalates each year, with 90% ending up in landfills.

Our expertise lies in assisting you with safe and cost-effective magnet preservation and disposal. We offer several recycling options for your magnets, including demagnetisation, shot-blasting, re-coating, re-magnetisation, and testing. In some cases, we can even machine-cut or grind the magnets into alternative dimensions. If the magnets are heavily oxidised, we can convert them back into powder and re-sinter them into fresh materials or use them as additives in various NdFeB grades.

Recycling NdFeB magnets holds significant importance due to the following reasons:

1. Prevents wasteful disposal of Rare Earth materials in landfills.
2. Reduces environmental impact associated with mining by decreasing the demand for extraction chemicals.
3. Hydrogen recycling processes are energy-efficient and have minimal environmental consequences.
4. Scrap NdFeB magnets contain 30wt% rare earth metals that can be reused.
5. Establishing a closed-loop recycling system enables the return of scrap NdFeB for rework or re-pressing into new magnets.

To initiate a NdFeB waste end-of-life program or discuss your recycling needs, please contact us. Our commitment to Magnetronic-Rec has led Magnet Sales to offer a dedicated NdFeB recycling service, preventing the unnecessary disposal of bulk raw materials. We have the capability to potentially accept scrap NdFeB magnets in various conditions for recycling, reworking, or reprocessing into new magnets. If your company utilises significant amounts of Neodymium, we can explore the possibility of setting up a waste disposal program.

For more information on this topic, you can read our recent news article here. Feel free to reach out to us with any inquiries.

Recycled NdFeB Counter

18,410 Kg