Highlights

• Researchers at Taiwan's National Formosa University developed a fully automated recycling method for permanent NdFeB magnets.
• The innovative system recovers 99.4% of magnetic powder with impurity levels below 900 ppm and matches virgin magnet performance.
• The method provides a sustainable solution for rare earth magnet recycling.
• Reduces dependence on mined materials.
• Improves supply chain resilience.

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In a major advancement for rare earth sustainability, researchers at Taiwan’s National Formosa University (opens in a new tab) have developed a fully automated recycling method that efficiently recovers high-performance neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets from end-of-life scrap—while solving a critical industry challenge: how to remove nickel coatings without degrading magnetic quality.

The study, published April 10 in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (opens in a new tab), was led by Dr. Chih-Chieh Mo, Dr. Shih-Fu Ou, and Dr. Ching-Chien Huang. Their team tackled one of the toughest obstacles in rare earth magnet recycling: nickel coatings that prevent oxidation during use but interfere with rare earth element (REE) recovery during recycling.

Study Design and Innovation

Using a custom-designed crushing and separation machine, the team introduced a fully automated “magnet-to-magnet” recycling system capable of recovering 99.4% of usable magnetic powder from 100 kg batches of scrap magnets. The process significantly reduces contamination from leftover nickel, achieving impurity levels below 900 ppm—a threshold critical to maintaining magnet strength and durability.

Performance Matches Virgin Magnets

Recycled magnets produced with this system matched the N48H industrial performance grade—a benchmark in high-powered magnet manufacturing. Key metrics included:

• Remanence (Br): 13.78 kG
• Coercivity (iHc): 16.39 kOe
• Maximum Energy Product ((BH)max): 44.87 MGOe

Even more impressively, the magnets showed superior corrosion resistance compared to both virgin scrap and manually processed materials, with a 75% lower corrosion current than raw scrap magnets.

Why It Matters

This breakthrough demonstrates that nickel-coated end-of-life magnets—previously a major barrier to circular supply chains—can be recycled efficiently and sustainably at scale. By automating the removal of impurities and preserving magnetic strength, the method provides a the potential for a commercially viable route to reduce dependence on mined REEs and minimize waste.

Implications for Industry

As geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions raise alarms over rare earth supply chains, this innovation provides a path forward for North America and its allies seeking to build closed-loop systems. Rare Earth Exchanges LLC views this development as a potential step toward midstream resilience in the future—the prospect of offering high recovery rates, lower environmental impact, and industrial-grade magnet output without reliance on primary Chinese supply.