Review on Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Recycling Technology

Rare earth elements possess unique chemical, electrical, magnetic, and luminescent properties that can significantly enhance the performance of existing products even when added in small amounts.Moreover, due to the absence of commercially viable substitutes, these elements hold high strategic value in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and advanced technology sectors.Each element exhibits distinct characteristics, enabling diverse applications of rare earth materials in fields such as smartphones, semiconductors, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, precision-guided weapons, and other advanced equipment.Among these applications, permanent magnets account for the largest market share.South Korea relies on imports for the majority of neodymium permanent magnets, which are essential components used in electric vehicle production, robotics, consumer electronics and other related applications.However, research on recycling these materials remains insufficient.Therefore, this paper provides an overview and analysis of recent global issues surrounding the rare earth supply chain and current research trends in recycling technologies for rare earth permanent magnets.