Recycling Bonded Nd–Fe–B Magnet Wastes by Chemical Reaction and Its Mechanism

Abstract

The difficulty of short-process bonded Nd–Fe–B magnet waste recycling lies in the effective removal of the cured polymer matrix while protecting the magnetic powder. In this study, the polymer matrix in bonded Nd–Fe–B magnet waste was destroyed using sodium hydroxide ethanol solution, and the effect of the recycling process on the magnetic powders was studied. The nonmagnetic polymer matrix was removed, while the magnetic phase was not destroyed. The carbon and oxygen contents of the recycled magnetic powders decreased by 92.96 and 89.30%, respectively, while the M S (saturation magnetization), M r (remanence), and H cj (coercivity) values of the recycled magnetic powders were 99.8, 98.5, and 95.9% of the original magnetic powders, respectively. The curing and decomposition processes of the polymer matrix were also analyzed. During the curing process, dicyandiamide and bisphenol A epoxy resin acted as bridges and skeletons, respectively, finally forming a thermosetting three-dimensional network structure. In the alkaline alcohol solution, the bridges and skeletons were destroyed by the free hydroxyl groups and free hydrogen radicals in ethanol, and small molecular products were dissolved in the solution.