Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of NdFeB Magnets: Virgin Production versus Magnet-to-Magnet Recycling

Abstract

Rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium have a substantial supply risk. Yet these elements are needed for NdFeB magnets that are indispensable for clean energy applications such as hybrid/electric vehicles and wind turbines. In order to attenuate the supply risk, recycling of NdFeB magnets from end-of-life (EOL) products is a promising alternative. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) have been performed for NdFeB magnets produced from newly mined ("virgin") material and for magnets produced using a magnet-to-magnet recycling process. A comparison of the results shows that the value recovery system has significantly less environmental impact than virgin production.