How rare earths are recovered from magnets
The rare earths in electronics are almost all in small permanent magnets. Recovering them takes two steps: separating the magnet from the product around it, then either recovering its elements or returning its alloy to new magnets. Several routes exist, and some are still research.
This page describes industry and research processes in general. It does not describe ERI’s operations.
First, the magnet
Recovering a magnet before recovering its elements
Magnet recovery can involve dismantling, sorting and demagnetization. Shredding followed by separation is another route. Separating magnet-rich components from other materials is distinct from subsequently recovering individual rare-earth elements.1
Recovering the elements
Once magnet material has been separated, three families of process can recover the rare earths in it. They are not exclusive, and which is used depends on the material being fed.
Dissolving and separating (hydrometallurgy)
Hydrometallurgy uses solution chemistry: leaching dissolves feed material, followed by separation and purification of its constituents. It is one rare-earth recovery route after magnet material has been liberated. Process selection depends on the feedstock.1
Furnace routes (pyrometallurgy)
Pyrometallurgical routes use high-temperature processing to separate or concentrate rare earths into a recoverable phase. These routes differ from solution-based recovery and may be combined with other separation processes.1
Electrochemical routes
Electrochemical approaches use electrically driven reactions to recover constituents from magnet materials. They are another route discussed alongside hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy; industrial processes can combine more than one approach.1
Keeping the alloy
Reusing the alloy directly (short-loop recycling)
Short-loop recycling aims to return magnet alloy material to new magnets rather than first separating every rare-earth element. The University of Birmingham describes Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS), which liberates rare-earth magnet material as an alloy powder. Purified powder can be processed into new sintered magnets.2
Routes still in research
The two examples below are published research, not established industrial practice.
Separating through a membrane (membrane solvent extraction)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated membrane solvent extraction for recovering rare earths from scrap permanent magnets and other electronic waste. The process uses selective extraction and stripping to transfer rare-earth constituents from dissolved feed into a recovery stream. Published scale-up work investigates multiple scrap feedstocks.3
Dissolving magnets in water-based solutions
Ames Laboratory and Critical Materials Institute researchers developed a process that dissolves magnets in water-based solutions and recovers rare-earth materials for reuse in new magnets. Their report also discusses cobalt recovery from cobalt-containing magnet waste.4
Where each material sits
Rare earths
Rare earths in electronics: what they are and where they sit has its own page, with every device here that holds it.
Which devices feed this stream
These are sorted for magnet rare earths when they are recycled. Each page says what the device holds and where.
Sources
- Rare Earth Permanent Magnets: Supply Chain Deep Dive AssessmentUS Department of Energy
- World-leading rare earth magnet recycling facility launches in West MidlandsUniversity of Birmingham, Innovative rare earth recycling process; About the process, January 15, 2026
- Selective Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from a Wide Range of E-Waste and Process Scalability of Membrane Solvent ExtractionOak Ridge National Laboratory, Publication abstract and process scalability study
- Rare-earth magnet recycling wins FLC innovation awardAmes Laboratory, Description of the CMI/Ames magnet recycling process
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