Reclaiming rare earths: Improving process to recycle rare-earth materials
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - 20:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Recycling keeps paper, plastics, and even jeans out of landfills. Could recycling rare-earth magnets do the same? Perhaps, if the recycling process can be improved. Scientists are working to more effectively remove the neodymium, a rare earth element, from the mix of other materials in a magnet. Initial results show recycled materials maintain the properties that make rare-earth magnets useful.