永続的な磁石は、現代の産業および技術製品で重要な役割を果たしています. 風力タービンのかどうか, 電気自動車, 家電製品, or in consumer electronics such as smart phones and audio equipment, permanent magnets are widely used. In particular, rare earth permanent magnet materials represented by neodymium iron boron have become the mainstream choice due to their strong magnetic force and small size and light weight.
しかし, with the expansion of application areas, the number of discarded permanent magnets has increased year by year, triggering concerns about resource waste and environmental impact. Compared with traditional raw material mining and processing, recycling and reusing waste permanent magnets is considered to be a way to potentially alleviate environmental pressure and save resources.
Rare earth resources are limited, and mining brings environmental costs
Rare earth elements such as neodymium, ジスプロシウム, and terbium are key raw materials for manufacturing high-performance permanent magnets. Although these elements have “earth” in their names, they are not “rare”. The real problem lies in the complexity and pollution risk of the mining and refining process.
Mining rare earth ores usually requires a large amount of chemical substances to extract the target metals, a process that may cause water pollution, soil degradation and heavy metal residues. If not handled properly, it may even affect the surrounding ecosystem and the health of residents.
したがって, reducing dependence on raw ore resources and obtaining rare earth metals through recycling and reuse has become an important direction in formulating resource strategies.
Permanent magnet recycling is expected to ease resource pressure
Compared with extracting rare earth metals from ores, extracting raw materials from waste permanent magnets has the potential to consume less energy and cause less pollution. According to research estimates, the carbon emissions and energy consumption of recycling rare earth materials from waste permanent magnets can be reduced by more than half compared to the original smelting method. Of course, these data will be affected by many factors such as process technology, recovery rate and recycling system construction, but the overall trend shows that its environmental advantages are more significant.
加えて, the recycling of permanent magnets can also alleviate the problem of resource waste. Many electronic products that have reached the end of their service life still have the value of using the magnet performance. If these components are properly classified, disassembled and reused, it can not only extend the material life cycle, but also help reduce the generation of solid waste.
Recycling still faces technical and economic challenges
Although permanent magnet recycling has environmental and resource benefits in theory, it still faces some difficulties in actual operation.
On the one hand, the trend of product miniaturization makes permanent magnets smaller and more widely distributed in equipment, and the difficulty of disassembly increases accordingly; on the other hand, some recycling processes are still not mature enough, and there may be problems of low recycling rate or secondary pollution. 加えて, the contradiction between recycling cost and market price is also a factor restricting its large-scale development.
したがって, promoting permanent magnet recycling requires not only technological innovation, but also the construction of a complete recycling system, including cooperation in recycling networks, classification standards, policy support, 等.
Towards a future of recycling
In recent years, many companies and scientific research institutions are trying to make breakthroughs in permanent magnet recycling. 例えば, the application of some thermal debonding technologies, hydrogen crushing methods and hydrometallurgical processes is improving the recycling efficiency of rare earth metals.
Although permanent magnet recycling is still difficult to completely replace traditional mining, it has shown great potential in reducing environmental pollution and improving resource efficiency. 将来, with the improvement of technology and the strengthening of industrial chain collaboration, its role in green manufacturing and low-carbon development is expected to be further enhanced.
Conclusion
At a time when the concept of sustainable development is becoming more and more popular, permanent magnet recycling not only reflects a positive response to environmental protection, but also represents an important exploration of efficient resource utilization. Although recycling is not the only solution to resource shortages and environmental pressures, it is undoubtedly an important part of promoting green manufacturing. Through continuous optimization of technology and improvement of the industrial chain, permanent magnet recycling is expected to play a more active role in reducing resource waste and pollution emissions.
As a world-leading manufacturer of high-performance rare earth permanent magnet materials, JLMAG has always been committed to promoting green circular manufacturing, actively deploying permanent magnet recycling and reuse technologies, and helping the industry move towards a more sustainable future. To learn more about JLMAG’s practices in environmental protection and innovation, please visit our website：https://jlmag-innovation.com/.
