Magnet recycling

• Main Authors: HARRIS IVOR REX, SPEIGHT JOHN, WILLIAMS ANDREW, WALTON ALLAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.05.2014
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CASTING; CHEMISTRY; ELECTRICITY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUSMETALS OR ALLOYS; INDUCTANCES; MAGNETS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE BY DECARBURISATION, TEMPERING OR OTHERTREATMENTS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METALLURGY; METALLURGY OF IRON; MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS; PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES; TRANSFORMERS; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

The present invention discloses a method for recovering rare earth particulate material from an assembly comprising a rare earth magnet and comprises the steps of exposing the assembly to hydrogen gas to effect hydrogen decrepitation of the rare earth magnet to produce a rare earth particulate material, and separating the rare earth particulate material from the rest of the assembly. The invention also resides in an apparatus for separating rare earth particulate material from an assembly comprising a rare earth magnet. The apparatus comprises a reaction vessel having an opening which can be closed to form a gas-tight seal, a separation means for separating the rare earth particulate material from the assembly, and a collection means for collecting the rare earth particulate material. The reaction vessel is connected to a vacuum pump and a gas control system, and the gas control system controls the supply of hydrogen gas to the reaction vessel.