Technological and ecological safety in aspect of chemical properties of recycled neodymium magnets – electric motors and hard disk

Neodymium magnets currently dominate the magnet market due to their superior magnetic properties with maximum volume minimization. In this paper, the results of X-ray analysis for two types of magnetic powder obtained from the recovered magnets traditionally used in electric motors and hard disk have been presented. The NdFeB magnets are composed of 25-35 wt. % rare earth elements (RE) and the rest being transition metals (mainly Fe.). RE, other than Nd, such Dy, Pr, Tb and Gd or exogen elements, other than Fe, such as Al, Co, Ga, Nb, Si, Cu and Zr can also be present as minor admixtures. This paper brings an opportunity to introduce the hard magnets recycling technology on an industrial scale.