• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 2023

Liquid metal extraction (LME), a pyrometallurgical recycling method, is popular owing to its negligible environmental impact. LME mainly targets rare-earth permanent magnets having several rare-earth elements. Mg is used as a solvent metal for LME because of its selective and eminent reactivity with rare-earth elements in magnets. Several studies concerning the formation of Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds and their effects on LME using Mg exist. However, methods for reducing these compounds are unavailable. Fe reacts more strongly with B than with Dy; B addition can be a reducing method for Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds owing to the formation of Fe₂B, which takes Fe from Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds. The FeB alloy is an adequate additive for the decomposition of Fe₂B. To accomplish the former process, Mg must convey B to a permanent magnet during the decomposition of the FeB alloy. Here, the effect of Mg on the transfer of B from FeB to permanent magnet is observed through microstructural and phase analyses. Through microstructural and phase analysis, it is confirmed that FeB is converted to Fe₂B upon B transfer, owing to Mg. Finally, the transfer effect of Mg is confirmed, and the possibility of reducing Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds during LME is suggested.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.186-191
• /
• 2021

A new method for chemical separation of light rare-earth elements (LREEs) using gas-pressurized extraction chromatography (GPEC) is described. GPEC is a microscale column chromatography system that features a constant flow of solvents, which is created by pressurized nitrogen gas. The separation column with a Teflon tubing was packed with LN resin. The proposed GPEC method facilitates production of lesser chemical wastes and faster separation owing to the use of low solvent volume compared to traditional column chromatography. We evaluated the separation of Ba, La, Ce, and Nd using various elution solvents. The column reproducibility of the proposed GPEC system ranged from 2.4% to 4.9% with RSDs of recoveries, and the column-to-column reproducibility ranged from 3.1% to 6.3% with RSDs of recoveries. The proposed technique is robust, and it can be useful for the fast separation of LREEs.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.27-31
• /
• 2015

Flat panel display devices are mainly used as information display devices in the 21st century. The worldwide waste flat panel displays are expected at 2-3 million units but most of them are land-filled for want of a proper recycling technology More specifically, rare earth metals of La and Eu are used as fluorescent materials of Cold Cathode Flourscent Lamp(CCFL)s in the waste flat panel displays and they are critically vulnerable and irreplaceable strategic mineral resources. At present, most of the waste CCFLs are disposed of by land-filling and incineration and proper recovery of 80-plus tons per annum of the rare earth fluorescent materials will significantly contribute to steady supply of them. A dearth of Korean domestic research results on recovery and recycling of rare earth elements in the CCFLs prompts to initiate this status report on overseas research trends and noteworthy research results in related fields.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.187-194
• /
• 2003

The effect of rare earth elements (R.E)(from 0.0 to 0.04%) on the microstructure formation and mechanical properties of thin-wall ductile iron castings were investigated. Tensile strength and hardness were decreased with an addition of up to 0.03% rare-earth elements. After addition of more than 0.03%, those were increased. Graphite nodule sizes were the finest, nodule count was the highst regardless of thickness and volume fraction of ferrite was the largest when that was 0.02%. However, the nodule count was decreased with increasing R.E. Futhermore. nodule size increased with increasing thickness and the volume fraction of ferrite decreased as that was increased. Nodularity was increased regardless of the thickness as that was increased. The castings of minium thickness up to 3 mm was possible without the formation of chill.

• Archives of Metallurgy and Materials
• /
• v.64 no.3
• /
• pp.953-957
• /
• 2019

U-10wt.%Zr metallic fuel slugs containing rare-earth (RE: a rare-earth alloy comprising 53% Nd, 25% Ce, 16% Pr and 6% La) elements for a sodium-cooled fast reactor were fabricated by modified injection casting as an alternative method. The distribution, size and composition of the RE inclusions in the metallic fuel slugs were investigated according to the content of the RE inclusions. There were no observed casting defects, such as shrunk pipes, micro-shrinkage or hot tears formed during solidification, in the metallic fuel slugs fabricated by modified injection casting. Scanning electron micrographs and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) showed that the Zr and RE inclusions were uniformly distributed in the matrix and the composition of the RE inclusions was similar to that of a charged RE element. The content and the size of the RE inclusions increased slightly according to the charge content of the RE elements. RE inclusions in U-Zr alloys will have a positive effect on fuel performance due to their micro-size and high degree of distribution.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.22-30
• /
• 2018

In order to industrially recycle nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements included in waste NiMH batteries, electrode powder scraps were recovered by dismantle, crushing and classification from automobile waste battery module. As a result of leaching recovered electrode powder scrap with sulfuric acid solution, 99% of nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements were leached under reaction conditions of 1.0 M sulfuric acid solution, pulp density 25 g/L and reaction temperature $90^{\circ}C$ for 4 hours. In addition, the rare earth elements were able to separate from nickel / cobalt solution as cerium, lanthanum and neodymium precipitated under pH 2.0 using 10 M NaOH.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.74-83
• /
• 2012

Rare earth metals have been made from rare earth compounds which were prepared from rare earth ore concentrates through successive processes such as leaching(i.e. extraction of rare earth elements to liquid media), separation, purification, precipitation. Here, process for treating monazite and bastnasite ore concentrates were briefly reviewed, and metallothermic reduction and fused salt electrolysis methods were introduced as the extraction technologies for rare earth metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.553-566
• /
• 1997

Origin, behavior and enrichment of environmental toxic elements from the Deokpyeong area were investigated on the basis of major, trace and rare earth element geochemistry. Coaly metapelites of the Deokpyeong area are subdivided into grey phyllite, dark grey phyllite, coaly slate and black slate, which are interbedded along the Ogcheon Supergroup. The coaly slate had been mined for coal, but mining is closed. The coaly and black slates are lower contents of $SiO_2$ and $Al_2O_3$, and higher contents of LOI, CaO, $Na_2O$ and BaO as compared with the phyllitic rocks. Rare earth elements are highly enriched in the coaly and black slate. Average compositions (ppm) of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in the coaly and black slate are revealed as As=127, Ba=30,163, Cd=18, Cr=740, Cu=84, Mo=378, Pb=43, Sb=12, Se=44, U=144, V=8,147 and Zn=292, which are extremely high concentrations than those in the NASC compositions. Major elements (average enrichment index; 5.34) in the coaly metapelites are mostly depleted, excepting $P_2O_5$ and BaO, normalized by NASC. Rare earth elements (average enrichment index; 1.48) are enriched in the coaly slate. On the basis of NASC, minor and/or environmental toxic elements in the coaly metapelites were strongly enriched of all the elements with the exception of Co, Cs, Ni and Sr. Average enrichment index of trace elements in coaly metapelite is 31.51 (coaly slate; 51.94 and black slate; 15.46). Especially, enrichment index of potentially toxic elements (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, U, V and Zn) of the rock is 46.10 (grey phyllite; 7.15, dark grey phyllite; 4.77, coaly slate; 88.96 and black slate; 22.11). These coal formations were deposited in basin of boundary between terrestrial and marine environments deduced to carbon, sulfur (C/S=2.2 to 275.7), trace and rare earth elements characteristics. Irregular behavior and dispersion between major, minor and rare earth elements of those metapelites indicates a variable source materials, incomplete mixing of differential source and/or reequilibrium of diagenesis and metamorphism.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.165-169
• /
• 2018

Rare earth elements (REEs) are considered to be vital to modern industry due to their important roles in applications such as permanent magnets, automobile production, displays, and many more. The imbalance between demand and supply of REEs can be solved by recycling processes. Regarding the needs of industry and society, the International Organization for Standardization, Technical Committee 298 (ISO/TC298) Rare Earths has been recently launched for developing international standards on rare earth elements. In accordance with the suggestion of its constituents, it is tentatively working to develop the appropriate standards under five working groups (WG) on terms and definitions (WG1), element recycling (WG2), environmental stewardship (WG3), packaging, labelling, marking, transport, and storage (WG4), and testing analysis (WG5). The scope and structure of ISO/TC298 on the topic of rare earths is discussed in this document.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.221-227
• /
• 2012

High performance permanent magnets have become the subject of considerable attention because of the potential applications in the traction motors of hybrid and electric vehicles and wind generators. Nd-Fe-B magnets have attracted considerable interest due to a large maximum energy product. However, Nd-Fe-B magnet cannot be used in high temperature (${\sim}200^{\circ}C$) applications due to the thermal degradation of coercivity. Therefore, the development of high coercivity Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet is a challenging issue. In case of high coercivity Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet, an increment in the intrinsic coercivity can be easily achieved by substituting Nd atoms with Dy or Tb atoms. However, these heavy rare-earth elements are known to cause a decrease in remanence due to the antiferromagnetic coupling between Dy and Fe atoms. In addition, Dy is relatively expensive and being limited in quantity. Hence, a new technology that can increase the coercivity of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet using only a small amount, or even, no amount of heavy rare-earth elements is being investigated. This article describes the research trend in reducing the heavy rare-earth elements in Nd-Fe-B magnets.